Bravo/Nasal Aire II revisted WOO-WOO

Broke out my bravo last night

disconnected the headgear and the plastic elbows leaving just the the tubes and the hose connector

Got my NA II cannula and headgear

inserted bravo tubes into NA II cannula - no inserts or union needed

Used pony tale method with the bravo tubes instead of the NA II tubes

The velcro on the side of the NA II headgear holds the tubes in place and the hose connector sits and is supported at the crown of my head and rests on the pillow when laying down

adjusted overhead plant hanger hose management system to bring hose down to proper height

Got out the pur-sleep (clear)

I taped and took a little melatonin (I have been using this for the last few nights with no previous success)

went to bed about a 1/2 hr later than usual and

I slept !!!!!!!

Did not wake up until about 6.5 hours later (usually I wake up a number of times)

then went back to sleep for over an hour

My Numbers

Ai .4

Hi .4

Ahi .8

Lowest ever and I broke the 1 barrier !!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!

I had been struggling to get my NA II numbers down to the level of my Mirage Swift II numbers but had not previously gotten there

The Na II is for me the most comfortable interface with no face straps or contact points

Now with this low ahi I seem to gotten the best of both worlds comfort and effective treatment in a lightweight interface which allows me to sleep on either side or back

WOO - WOO

Sleepdeprived

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CPAPopedia Keywords Contained In This Post (Click For Definition): mirage, hose, swift, AHI

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CPAPopedia Keywords Contained In This Post (Click For Definition): mirage, hose, swift, AHI

[quote="Sleepdeprived"]Broke out my bravo last night

disconnected the headgear and the plastic elbows leaving just the the tubes and the hose connector

Got my NA II cannula and headgear

inserted bravo tubes into NA II cannula - no inserts or union needed

Used pony tale method with the bravo tubes instead of the NA II tubes

The velcro on the side of the NA II headgear holds the tubes in place and the hose connector sits and is supported at the crown of my head and rests on the pillow when laying down

adjusted overhead plant hanger hose management system to bring hose down to proper height

Got out the pur-sleep (clear)

I taped and took a little melatonin (I have been using this for the last few nights with no previous success)

went to bed about a 1/2 hr later than usual and

I slept !!!!!!!

Did not wake up until about 6.5 hours later (usually I wake up a number of times)

then went back to sleep for over an hour

My Numbers

Ai .4

Hi .4

Ahi .8

Lowest ever and I broke the 1 barrier !!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!

I had been struggling to get my NA II numbers down to the level of my Mirage Swift II numbers but had not previously gotten there

The Na II is for me the most comfortable interface with no face straps or contact points

Now with this low ahi I seem to gotten the best of both worlds comfort and effective treatment in a lightweight interface which allows me to sleep on either side or back

WOO - WOO

Sleepdeprived

I tend to like the bravo tubes a bit better than Nasal-aire II tubes, but both work.

neverbetter wrote:I tend to like the bravo tubes a bit better than Nasal-aire II tubes, but both work.

Hi Neverbetter

Why is that ? I know the numbers I got last night with the na II and the bravo tubes are better than I ever got using all NA II parts.

Sleepdeprived

sleepdeprived
It's obvious the Bravo is using a very high grade silicone tubing where the Nasal Aire II uses a lower grade silicone (if indeed it's even silicone because it probably is not). My guess is that Innomed wanted to use something stiff so the tubing wouldn't close if you laid on it. You can see ribbs inside the Nasal Aire II tubing that stiffen it if you look close. I guess it makes sense for a product that goes behind the ears.

Hey, Sleepdeprived! Congrats on the low numbers. As you said this is real close to the setup I am using and love it as well with similar low numbers.

Just two points:

You were right about the Bravo tubes fitting the NAII prongs with no adapters (Bravo 1/2" O.D., NAII 1/2" I.D.). Sometimes I can over think things. I tried it for one night without adapters, and the pressure is certainly low enough so they don't blow apart. But when physical pressure is put on the tubes from the pillow, or just when fiddling with the angle of the prongs, a tube can come out with the attending blast of air. Happened twice for me. So if one wants a secure fit, the barb reducing adapters are a sure thing. The downside is they add weight and a hard piece right where the mask meets the face, but so far they don't bother me. All in all I think your use without adapters is preferred if it doesn't cause any problems.

Secondly if someone who has a Bravo and just wants to buy the NAII prongs and not the NAII headgear, a simple elastic headband with velcro strips on each side (right in front of the ears) is virtually the same for routing and stabilizing the tubes. That is of course if they don't use a ball cap!

Good work and keep the tips coming...

BadBreath wrote:Hey, Sleepdeprived! Congrats on the low numbers. As you said this is real close to the setup I am using and love it as well with similar low numbers.

Just two points:

You were right about the Bravo tubes fitting the NAII prongs with no adapters (Bravo 1/2" O.D., NAII 1/2" I.D.). Sometimes I can over think things. I tried it for one night without adapters, and the pressure is certainly low enough so they don't blow apart. But when physical pressure is put on the tubes from the pillow, or just when fiddling with the angle of the prongs, a tube can come out with the attending blast of air. Happened twice for me. So if one wants a secure fit, the barb reducing adapters are a sure thing. The downside is they add weight and a hard piece right where the mask meets the face, but so far they don't bother me. All in all I think your use without adapters is preferred if it doesn't cause any problems.

Secondly if someone who has a Bravo and just wants to buy the NAII prongs and not the NAII headgear, a simple elastic headband with velcro strips on each side (right in front of the ears) is virtually the same for routing and stabilizing the tubes. That is of course if they don't use a ball cap!

Good work and keep the tips coming...

Thanks BB

I have not had any problems with the cannula coming off the tubes when not using inserts. I shove the hose in as far as it will go without excessive force

I tried it this way because I could not find a right size barb union in either Home depot or Lowe's

You know necessity is the mother of invention.

I also wrote Innomed asking then how I could get the NA II unions. Still waiting to hear from them

Sleepdeprived

Why wait for an answer from Innomed. You are in Miami. just go on down to their office and ask them in person.

Hi All...not new to CPAP but new to this forum.

I use the NasalAire II mask. I actually preferred the material for the NasalAire I...but hey can't get them anymore.

OK...so what are Bravo tubes?

Why do the NA II tubes get so hard. I think it must be from the heat of my head...because the ponytail portion of the tubes are still soft.

So in essence...I am looking at replacing my tubes...where can I do this most inexpensively.

Thanks in advance.

Wow, you dug this thread from a long ways back. The tubes get hard from the skin oils, I don't think it is the heat, where it touches your face. I don't know of anyone that sells the tubes except to buy the entire mask. The cannula and the headgear can be bought seperately but I have never seen the hoses or connectors as parts. My wife made a set of fleese covers for the tubes and they seem to stay soft. Pad A Cheek (a form member) makes them with a zipper so they are easy to remove and wash. Babette says you can boil the tubes without the connectors and they will get soft again but I have never tried it.

Jerry

Yeah...I dug up an old one. Google keeps track of everything.

I will try and boil to see if that works...I hope it does.

Thanks,

Tim

Boiling does not do much but boil some oils our of the tubing and soften them while they are hot..once cool...no change.

What are these tubes made of. I would like to order tubes longer than come as stock.

I did find at cpapexchange.com that I can order the tubes only for 65 bucks...not bad. But I would like longer tubes.

Tim