Fisher and Paykel Flexifit Mask 407

Anyone had success with this nasal mask?

I currently use the Activa - I like it alot - actually, I it was my first interface and I bought many others on my own, thinking there was a better one out there for me, and wasted money, and went right back to the Activa. The only thing I do not like about it is it's bulkiness and the inability to easily watch TV as I am falling asleep. Another thing is that I have been left with a chapped area under my nose now for about a month that I can not get rid of - I don't know if it is because of the large surface area of the seal that rests there, or if I am having a reaction to the silicone (don't think the ladder because I have been using the same mask now for almost 2 years).

Has anyone used both of these interfaces, and had success with them both, as in easy switchover)?

Thanks.

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CPAPopedia Keywords Contained In This Post (Click For Definition): activa, seal

I've used both. I would say the Activa gives the better seal, but the 407 is more comfortable (after I put a cloth pad on the forehead).

The 407 might be a good change for you.

I used the Activa for quite a while and had the same complaints you have - it was too bulky and eventually just wasn't comfortable because of that. I went to the F & P 405, and now am trying the 407, which has a slightly smaller footprint on the face. The 405 was causing permanent dents on either side of my nose. I like the F & P design, the 'Flexifit' thing works well for side sleeping, and the foam inner cushion with the silicone outer seal is very comfortable for me. However, I do have to replace the forehead rest pieces with 1/4" memory foam for the mask to fit correctly. It comes with two sort of hard plastic things on the forehead rest that are not comfortable for me, and they hold the top part of the mask too far away from the bridge of my nose. I may have to use two layers of the foam on the 407 though, as I'm still tweaking it to get a perfect, leak-free fit. For comfort, though, the F & P nasal masks have my vote.

Min

I used the 407 Flex-Fit for a while myself. Unfortunately, it turned out it was a shade too long for me. I either had a "bruised" bridge of nose or a tender, sore upper lip/bottom of nose area. I didn't realize that the 406 Flex-Fit existed much less that it was a smaller version of the 407. My supplier didn't happen to have a 406 in stock at the time and he gave me several other masks to try, one of which was the Activa. I really didn't care for the weight of the Activa. When I learned the 406 was just a smaller version of the 407 my supplier was going to order it for me but meanwhile had given me a Respironics Simplicity to try. Once I tried the Simplicity I didn't bother to ask him to go ahead and order the 406 for me to try.

The Simplicity is a simple nasal cushion, there is no inner cushion and outer cover which is why it is so much lighter in weight. It also is completely flexible between forehead and bridge of nose thus avoiding that bruised bridge of nose feeling due to the wrong angle for my face. The swivel is extremely free swinging and the hose can even be routed above your head with a provided clip if you prefer an over the head arrangement. You can read, watch TV, wear your glasses, etc. w/the Simplicity. Its one of the oldest masks that Respironics makes.

It is not w/o its problems. The center strap of the headgear is WAY too long so I had to cut almost 1 1/2"-2" out of it and velcro it back together and the velcro at the end of the straps is the same width as the strap meaning if you don't place it "just so" you get one raw neck!! But that is easily remedied w/a pair of scissors to taper the width like MOST velcroed straps usually are on these mask headgears.

Since it is a simple nasal cushion one can NOT tighten it too tightly since it needs the pressurized air to fill the mask cushion to prevent leaks. Surprisingly it is not the cheapest mask out there, given how little there is to it, but it is one of the cheaper masks, I think it runs $74 or so at cpap.com.

NeurosurgeryNP,

I switched masks the other way - started with an F&P 407 and went to the Activa. I liked the 407 a lot - my problem was that I'm a very floppy sleeper which evidently includes burying my face in my pillow. The 407 would dislodge to some degree under extreme circumstances. In my own case, the extreme circumstances happened a lot after I got used to CPAP.

I can't shake the Activa loose. I wear the Activa because it stays on and seals. The Activa is huge (you're right, it's really hard to watch TV wearing the Activa), it's uglier than home made sin, it gets a bit uncomfortable, but it stays put.

Said all that to say I let go of my 407 with tears in my eyes. It was comfortable, I could se the TV with it on, and it basically sealed well except when I did stupid stuff in my sleep involving my face and pillows. Even came up with a cool "mod" for the mask which worked well the one night I tried it. I decided to swap the 407 out for the Activa anyway - before I knew how big the Activa was.

Let us know how this plays out.