Gross, but important!

[congahands]

My Sister-in-law has been on CPAP since July. She has recently been hospitalized with an unknown lung ailment. They have been running all sorts of tests on her.

She has recently admitted that she has never cleaned her CPAP hose, other than running water through it, and the best guess now is that she has some sort of fungal infection.

I know this sounds stupid, but just in case it needs to be said.....

[GumbyCT]

Have you asked her what kind of water she was using? And where she got it from?

Oh did she use the humidifier? If you see an Reddish tint in it - that is NOT a good thing.

[congahands]

I'll have my wife check that out.

Thanks for the info.

[RipVW]

Another good reason to use Control 3--

https://www.cpap.com/productpage/Contro ... e-Kit.html

Here's an interesting article re another CPAPer's reasons for using Control 3.

http://www.awakeinphilly.org/Equipment/cleaning.shtml

[Wulfman]

Has she ever cleaned her filters, too?

I think that people are more likely apt to introduce "unwelcomed growth" in their XPAP systems by using tap water in their humidifiers, washing hoses with tap water, hanging the hoses and masks in the bathroom......rather than using distilled water in their humidifiers and just leaving their hoses alone. Some of it may depend on the relative humidity where a person lives and what may also be "growing" in their homes.

But, just since July (of this year, I presume) seems like a relatively short time for an ailment like this to manifest itself from what is being presumed......(CPAP-cleaning-related).

Den

[roster]

.......
I think that people are more likely apt to introduce "unwelcomed growth" in their XPAP systems by using tap water in their humidifiers, washing hoses with tap water, hanging the hoses and masks in the bathroom......rather than using distilled water in their humidifiers and just leaving their hoses alone. .......

Ditto.

My hose is about 30 months old and has never been cleaned. Apria sent me a new one this week and when I get around to opening the box, I will use it and throw the old one away.

One point to add, the hose is put away in a drawer when not in use. I don't want it out in the open to pick up dust or anything.

[packitin]

Thanks, I hope she is going to be o.k.
I just take my hose to the shower with me (hardly ever use the tub), squirt a little soap in it, rinse it, and hang it up until its dry. No trouble at all. (I use the hose sometimes in the shower, because I'm so skinny the water sometimes misses me)
Have a happy thanksgiving,
Jay

[congahands]

Has she ever cleaned her filters, too?

I think that people are more likely apt to introduce "unwelcomed growth" in their XPAP systems by using tap water in their humidifiers, washing hoses with tap water, hanging the hoses and masks in the bathroom......rather than using distilled water in their humidifiers and just leaving their hoses alone. Some of it may depend on the relative humidity where a person lives and what may also be "growing" in their homes.

But, just since July (of this year, I presume) seems like a relatively short time for an ailment like this to manifest itself from what is being presumed......(CPAP-cleaning-related).

Den

I would be surprised if she ever changed her filters, or did anything other than put tap water in her humidifier. Who knows what is growing in her apartment? Not doing any maintenance on her equipment and using tap water for 5 months could easily generate a fungus of some sort.

CPAP may be a coincidence, but it seems like a likely scenario. It should be easy to send someone to her apartment to get the gear, and swab it and culture it.

Newsflash! My wife says she thinks my SIL took her CPAP gear to the hospital, so this should be easy for them to figure out.

[Zoot]

OK, I looked in Collective Wisdom. Where is the cleaning thread?

Evidently I have learned that cleaning my hose and masks in the sink with antibacterial hand soap and leaving it to dry over the shower head is incorrect.

I have used distilled water everynight in my humidifier though.

[Wulfman]

OK, I looked in Collective Wisdom. Where is the cleaning thread?

Evidently I have learned that cleaning my hose and masks in the sink with antibacterial hand soap and leaving it to dry over the shower head is incorrect.

I have used distilled water everynight in my humidifier though.

PROBABLY......because there is no particular consensus on the "right way" to do do it. It's a matter of personal preferences, even though there are recommendations in the user manuals we get with the equipment and then there are the DME folks who may even have different ideas.
I know I decided after the FIRST morning that there was going to be way too much time spent (wasted) if I was going to follow the manufacturers' recommendations. So, I have my own (minimal) routine. I DO make sure that I rinse out the foam filter ever other weekend and use only distilled water in the humidifier. Beyond that......I'm "flexible".

Den

[GumbyCT]

Newsflash! My wife says she thinks my SIL took her CPAP gear to the hospital, so this should be easy for them to figure out.

We can only hope the doc is doing a culture on it and that it wasn't brought to the hospital simply for her to continue using.

There is prob no easier way to grow bacteria than using tap water AND not cleaning.

[ozij]

Gentle reminders:
Den (Wulfman) lives in the desert and uses his humidifier in passover mode - which generates less humidity to start with. That's not like someone who lives on the seashore, and has a preference to for running their humidifier at 5.

Bathrooms are humid places, the first places where you'll find mold in most houses. I woudn't hang my hose to dry in the bathroom - whether I washed it and whether I didn't.

Distilled water is not sterilized water.

In some houses, when you put a slightly humid hose in a drawer to dry - it won't dry, and will collect mold. In other it won't. I was recently told by a friend who lived in Houston that he was instructed to leave his air conditioning running even when he left the apt. for 2 weeks, because otherwise, the apt. would fill with mold.

There really can't be hard and fast rules for users - the rules we are given by RTs DMEs and companies are - I assume - meant to take care of worts case scenarios.

The bottom line for me:
Play it by ear, consider your environment, and use your reasoning to figure where you are on the continuum between "close to worst case, and/or very sensitive" to "lungs of iron, no allegies, no mold anywhere" etc.

And make sure you use clean filters. Wash the sponge ones, throw away the replaceables as needed. Scrimping on the replaceable filters (for those who need them) is a bad idea.

O.

[RipVW]

I DO make sure that I rinse out the foam filter ever other weekend . . .
Den

Even though it is not "required," I also use the disposable fine filter in addition to the foam filter, wash the foam & change the fine filter every two weeks. Looking at the discoloration/dirt on the fine filter, I know the foam filter just doesn't catch it all. And, that dirt that the fine filter catches would just accumulate inside the machine and hose over time.

[plr66]

There is prob no easier way to grow bacteria than using tap water AND not cleaning.

After sudsing a hose, how do you go about rinsing it, if you do not use tap water?

[tomjax]

MANY people will have her condition and do not use a CPAP.
It is tempting to blamae the PAP, when it is likely coincidental, not causal, but many will make the link.

I think it is clearly established that organisms cannot get from the tank to the lungs.
Many will ignore this and blame the HH.

There is no law against bing stupid or ignorant.

Happy Thanksgiving all