Chest infection from hospital CPAP

Hello,

I recently had an overnight stay at the hospital but forgot my CPAP so was supplied a hospital one that was set to the pressure I recalled. It had no humidifier and there was a unpleasant odour in the mask. A day later I have developed a chest infection which I am on antibiotics for. I asked my doctor if the hospital machine might have been dirty and gave me the infection and he said It's impossible to catch a chest infection from a dirty mask or tube only from a dirty humidifier.

Is this true? Has anyone got a chest infection (or know of someone who did) from just a dirty mask and tube? I appreciate any advice.

Generally speaking a mask and tube are both considered single patient use in a hospital setting in the US. I would be surprised if they gave you a used one. However the masks used in hospitals are sometimes ones that we never see on the retail market. The plastic smell can be different than you are used to. I do believe that many sleep clinics reuse masks and hoses. But they have a protocol for cleaning that is established by the manufacturers of the equipment.

You can get an infection from anything on the planet that is not sterile... what nonsense! If you're really sick, consider asking the hospital to reimburse you (at the very least) for part of your bill.

Hospitals are not that clean anymore. My daughter brought Clorox wipes and wiped everything in the room down for me on my last visit. I always did that for my mother.

It might have been the machine or anything else in the room--even a doctor or nurse who did not wash their hands. Hospitals are dirty places. I don't think the it's fair to blame the CPAP,as it could have been ANYTHING.

smithy wrote:Hello,

I recently had an overnight stay at the hospital but forgot my CPAP so was supplied a hospital one that was set to the pressure I recalled. It had no humidifier and there was a unpleasant odour in the mask. A day later I have developed a chest infection which I am on antibiotics for. I asked my doctor if the hospital machine might have been dirty and gave me the infection and he said It's impossible to catch a chest infection from a dirty mask or tube only from a dirty humidifier.

Is this true? Has anyone got a chest infection (or know of someone who did) from just a dirty mask and tube? I appreciate any advice.

You would not acquire and become symptomatic from a chest 'infection' that quickly.

Unless your hospital is some jungle, third-world clinic, the mask and tubing would have been brand new, disposable equipment. It may smell odd, but rest assured it would have been completely sanitary. A US hospital wouldn't have a license if they reused or didn't sanitize things like that. They use disposable urinals for goodness sakes.

No, your 'infection' was not due to any 'dirty' cpap equipment. You likewise were developing the problems days and days before becoming symptomatic. Purely coincidental.

Hospitals seem to exist to cause pneumonia--get your shot.

For what is worth. The last time an RT gave me a hose, and about to give me a new mask, said, "Wash it before you use it." Meaning even if they come in a plastic bag, do not consider it sterile. If it smelled like plastic, then likely it was not washed.

Hospitals do not want patients to use humidifiers as it increase the probability of infection, so if you have your machine, make sure the humidifier is turned off.

Nurses are so overworked today, and not always knowledgeable of the specifics of Apnea treatment, they would not know to wash tubes and masks. Nor have a clean facility to wash them. Not sure if a bathroom in a hospital is better than not washing them.

For some, like me, the last time I was in a hospital, I cranked the top of the bed up, and slept on my side while sitting up. Which to me was better than letting viruses circulate through my machine, tubes, and mask to take home.

I brought mine home and changed the hose and filter and washed my tank and mask and all was well.