Cleaning + disinfecting nebulizer and aerobica

Posted by sara10 @sara10, Jan 20, 2022

Diagnosed with bronchiectasis several years ago. No antibiotics so far but 2x airway clearance with aerobica and nebulizer recommended. Some MAC bacteria was found.
Finding all sorts of info how to properly clean and disinfect but none agree with the other. Should both be cleaned each time and is it good enough to disinfect once a week? Alcohol, hydrogen peroxide or boiling best option?
Finding the whole process very tedious especially if cleaning 2x per day was necessary.
Does anybody have experience with Evenflo silicone steam sanitizing bag for disinfecting? Or, what baby bottle cleaner and dryer can you recommend?

Interested in more discussions like this? Go to the MAC & Bronchiectasis Support Group.

@sueinmn

You are like me! So confused. We've used compressor-style nebulizers for over 30 years. Replaced neb cup/mouthpiece/tubing every 3 months when using daily, otherwise a little longer. Never was told any different by Pulmo, ENT, primary, Respiratory Therapists, hospital...and never got an infection from nebulizing.

Always washed in hot cup and mouthpiece in soapy water daily (If ill, also sterilized weekly) & dried tubing by running the compressor if needed. When I got MAC, pulmo nurse asked how I cleaned neb & said good - do your Acapela the same. Now I read replace tubing every 2 weeks, 2 months...NJH says 2 weeks, one nebulizer site says "with the mouthpiece" and another says every 6 months. No one has shown me any research based data about the frequency of replacement.

How did I solve this? Switched to a mist/impeller style neb, without tubing. Handheld is easier for me anyway.

Question for anyone here who has time to search: Can you find any research-based evidence that one can be infected with any pathogen from nebulizer tubing, or that nebulizer tubing from a properly cleaned and maintained nebulizer has been proven to harbor MAC, NTM, pseudomonas or pneumococcus?

Sue

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Sue, would you mind sharing a link or a photo of your nebulizer? What parts do you sterilize and how/often?

NJH recommended Ombra compressor with its accessories, 2 cup + 2 tubes, for me and was advised to change tubes every month and cups every 6 months. I bough extra tubes on Amazon, but are of a lesser quality. They advised to wash the cup daily with soap and warm water with agitation and sterilize by boiling weekly for 10 min, or sterilize daily by boiling or using baby bottle sterilizer.

What surprises me is their recommendation to get a new compressor every year. It has been a year for my compressor and it is in an excellent running condition. Does anyone know why it should be replaced this frequently? The unit comes with 6 small filters to change every 2 months.

Most recently, I got a Pari Trek S for traveling. Would anyone recommend it for daily use and why? How long will it last with daily use?

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@sue102

Sue, would you mind sharing a link or a photo of your nebulizer? What parts do you sterilize and how/often?

NJH recommended Ombra compressor with its accessories, 2 cup + 2 tubes, for me and was advised to change tubes every month and cups every 6 months. I bough extra tubes on Amazon, but are of a lesser quality. They advised to wash the cup daily with soap and warm water with agitation and sterilize by boiling weekly for 10 min, or sterilize daily by boiling or using baby bottle sterilizer.

What surprises me is their recommendation to get a new compressor every year. It has been a year for my compressor and it is in an excellent running condition. Does anyone know why it should be replaced this frequently? The unit comes with 6 small filters to change every 2 months.

Most recently, I got a Pari Trek S for traveling. Would anyone recommend it for daily use and why? How long will it last with daily use?

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I have the Philips InnoSpire Go - you can see it here:
https://www.usa.philips.com/c-e/hs/respiratory-care/innospire-go.html
Unfortunately, it is still on backorder.
PariTrek S has a 3 year warranty if I remember correctly, so you can probably feel comfortable using it daily.
Sue

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@sueinmn

I have the Philips InnoSpire Go - you can see it here:
https://www.usa.philips.com/c-e/hs/respiratory-care/innospire-go.html
Unfortunately, it is still on backorder.
PariTrek S has a 3 year warranty if I remember correctly, so you can probably feel comfortable using it daily.
Sue

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Thank you Sue. That is helpful.

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@sue102

Sue, would you mind sharing a link or a photo of your nebulizer? What parts do you sterilize and how/often?

NJH recommended Ombra compressor with its accessories, 2 cup + 2 tubes, for me and was advised to change tubes every month and cups every 6 months. I bough extra tubes on Amazon, but are of a lesser quality. They advised to wash the cup daily with soap and warm water with agitation and sterilize by boiling weekly for 10 min, or sterilize daily by boiling or using baby bottle sterilizer.

What surprises me is their recommendation to get a new compressor every year. It has been a year for my compressor and it is in an excellent running condition. Does anyone know why it should be replaced this frequently? The unit comes with 6 small filters to change every 2 months.

Most recently, I got a Pari Trek S for traveling. Would anyone recommend it for daily use and why? How long will it last with daily use?

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i keep my pari trek for traveling or emergency use if the electricity goes out. It will run off the car hook up. I did not feel it was strong enough for daily use twice a day since my saline takes about 25 minutes to nebulize.

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@irenea8

i keep my pari trek for traveling or emergency use if the electricity goes out. It will run off the car hook up. I did not feel it was strong enough for daily use twice a day since my saline takes about 25 minutes to nebulize.

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That is a good thing to know. That is why I never recommend my original portable neb to anyone. Is the Pari Trek faster when you use it plugged in?
Sue

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@sueinmn

That is a good thing to know. That is why I never recommend my original portable neb to anyone. Is the Pari Trek faster when you use it plugged in?
Sue

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it either plugs into electrical or car but it is not portable in that sense. Sorry i thought portable meant good to travel with. It is good for travel in that it is smaller and lighter and can be plugged into a car.

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@sue102

Sue, would you mind sharing a link or a photo of your nebulizer? What parts do you sterilize and how/often?

NJH recommended Ombra compressor with its accessories, 2 cup + 2 tubes, for me and was advised to change tubes every month and cups every 6 months. I bough extra tubes on Amazon, but are of a lesser quality. They advised to wash the cup daily with soap and warm water with agitation and sterilize by boiling weekly for 10 min, or sterilize daily by boiling or using baby bottle sterilizer.

What surprises me is their recommendation to get a new compressor every year. It has been a year for my compressor and it is in an excellent running condition. Does anyone know why it should be replaced this frequently? The unit comes with 6 small filters to change every 2 months.

Most recently, I got a Pari Trek S for traveling. Would anyone recommend it for daily use and why? How long will it last with daily use?

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Can't think of any reason to change the compressor, as long as its functioning fine. Sometimes the stream weakens, and then it will need to be replaced. This happened twice with my nebulizer, but fortunately it was under warranty.

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@kathyhg

I’m looking for a small hand held nebulizer for travelling (I have the big, noisy but effective Pari Green one at home).
What do you mean by an impeller nebulizer and (if it’s okay here) can you give examples of brands of those so I can do more reading on them?
Thanks,

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Like Sue, I have used, and loved, the Innospire Go. Mine stopped charging just as their supply chain shut down and I had to find an alternative.
I’ve been using the Microair U100 by Omron. It’s another mesh nebulizer like the Innospire Go.
I’ve been very happy with it. The specs on particle size are the same as the Innospire, and subjectively to me it works just as well and is just as quiet. It’s less expensive, can be powered with a plug or AA batteries, and can be boiled to sterilize (not microwaved!!). You can order a replacement for the mesh part for just $35 if it gets damaged somehow or slows down due to mineral deposits.
I still prefer the simplicity of the Innospire Go, but the Omron is a great substitute, especially for travel.

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Thanks! I’ll look that up. I’ve got my name on a list to get an innospire go but I may need something else if those remain on back order.

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@bnthorson

I have been unable to get 7% saline from CVS, too.

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My doctor told it is pretty much unavailable everywhere because cover patients who need it get first priority.

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