Previously owned machines

I have an opportunity to buy a used CPAP which will stop the ridiculous monthly rental fee from my insurance company. It is from a private individual. Is it safe to use and is there a way to sanitize the machine itself? I know the hose mask and filter part plus cleaning the dehumidifier basin but can the actual machine be sanitized or does it need to be? Thank you always for your help.

Cyndi

Other than cleaning the outside of the machine no.

From a Respironics manual talking about using the same machine between patients..



Note that when you use a machine, the air flows in one direction. The breath of the user never gets to the machine and possibily never even get to the hose itself. The only contamination so to speak would be the outside of the machine, the mask, and the outside of the hose. The hose and the mask is easily changed and you should certainly clean the tank or replace it and replace the filter on the machine.

clean the hose and change the filter the only other thing I can think of is cleaning the outside case and the water tank if I has one.

Thank you for the help. Kind of thought that air is s one way event but wanted to make sure.

I wouldn't use the hose that comes with the used machine I would purchase a new hose

Cyndi5000 wrote:I have an opportunity to buy a used CPAP which will stop the ridiculous monthly rental fee from my insurance company. It is from a private individual. Is it safe to use and is there a way to sanitize the machine itself? I know the hose mask and filter part plus cleaning the dehumidifier basin but can the actual machine be sanitized or does it need to be? Thank you always for your help.

Cyndi

Check with your insurance....most insurance is "rent to own". After 12-13 months you may own the machine.

The "orthodox" answer is that the blower unit doesn't need to be cleaned.

Replace the filters. It's cheap and easy enough to do.

Even if germs did get into the blower unit, most germs that become airborne don't live for very long on a clean, dry surface. If you wait a few days between users, you improve the odds. Any unit being sold has probably sat on a shelf for a while anyway.

Depending on the model, there are ways to clean the water tank, hose, and mask. Or just replace them.

Cpap.com and others sell Control III disinfectant. Read the directions. The concentrate is fairly nasty stuff, but you dilute it to use and soak your used parts. Wash the parts before and after. You can't use the Control III to clean the inside of the blower unit.

There are instructions for cleaning ResMed masks, hoses, and water tanks in the Useful Links in my signature line at the bottom of this post.

Krelvin wrote:Note that when you use a machine, the air flows in one direction. The breath of the user never gets to the machine and possibily never even get to the hose itself. The only contamination so to speak would be the outside of the machine, the mask, and the outside of the hose.

Actually, air doesn't go only one way. When you exhale, some of your exhaled air goes back up the hose. However, since the mask vent is leaking air all the time, your exhaled air probably doesn't make it all the way to the other end of the hose.

Cyndi5000 wrote:I have an opportunity to buy a used CPAP which will stop the ridiculous monthly rental fee from my insurance company. It is from a private individual. Is it safe to use and is there a way to sanitize the machine itself? I know the hose mask and filter part plus cleaning the dehumidifier basin but can the actual machine be sanitized or does it need to be? Thank you always for your help.

Cyndi

Yes, it is "safe".......and no, there is no logical reason or way to "sanitize" the insides of the machines.
The vast majority of us who have spare/backup machines have acquired them from other individuals who no longer wanted them or entities who resell them. Seven of my ten machines were "previously owned" (most of them had 10 hours or less of use) and I only cleaned/replaced the foam (reusable) filters and washed out the HH tank if it wasn't "new". I don't think any of them came with hoses that had been used. If hoses came with them, I think they were all new in sealed packages. I've had absolutely no thoughts about trying to clean the "innards" of the machines (which is virtually impossible). The room air is filtered as it comes into the machine, there is nowhere for anything to remain inside the machine, the (distilled) water in the HH tank also acts as an additional "water-bath" filter and water vapor molecules are too small to carry any dust particles or pathogens out of the tank.

You're fine.


Den

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One question to ask, is the machine from a nonsmoking home? Smoke smell takes a little more time and work to decrease.