1. < MAC & Bronchiectasis

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.

med08 | @med08 | Sep 20, 2022

I soak my stuff after ea treatment in distilled water and vinegar. My Aerobika I wipe down with alcohol each time for about 3 uses and then I run in dish washer after about 4th use. I also wipe tubing and machine down each time with alcohol

REPLY
lorifilipek | @lorifilipek | Sep 26, 2022
In reply to @lorifilipek "Has anyone gotten a sinus or eye infection from using a nebulizer that wasn’t propertly cleaned?..." + (show)
@lorifilipek

Has anyone gotten a sinus or eye infection from using a nebulizer that wasn’t propertly cleaned?
I've been nebulizing 7% saline once daily using a PARI Vios with a Sprint reusable nebulizer cup. To clean the nebulizer, I alternate between soaking the cup pieces in hot water and dish soap on one day and boiling them for 5 minutes the next day. I recently noticed that the hose tube gets moisture sometimes that it never did before. Now I sometimes run the Vios without the cup after nebulizing to get rid of the moisture in the tube, but sometimes I forget to check. I also have been using the same cup for more than 4 months because I only nebulize once a day. Two days ago, sometime after nebulizing and a shower, my face around my left eye turned red and itchy and there was a puffy area near, but not adjacent to, my eye. I’m trying to figure out if it has anything to do with my nebulizing. I’ve read that cellulitis can come from a bacterial sinus infection.
I’m panicking because my ID doctor retired and I’ve not yet met my new one, I don’t want to go to urgent care because I don’t believe they will have the necessary background, and I don’t have an ophthalmologist to go to.

Jump to this post

It turns out that it wasn't a dirty nebulizer that caused the area around my eye to swell and turn red. It was learning how to properly use hyaluronic acid and retinol as face creams to reduce some of my wrinkles! I'm fine now and I'll continue to clean my nebulizer as I always have 🙂

REPLY
irenea8 | @irenea8 | Sep 27, 2022
In reply to @sueinmn "Hi dc1950, I think I can address your question. We have used nebulizers in our home..." + (show)
@sueinmn

Hi dc1950, I think I can address your question. We have used nebulizers in our home for years and have never sanitized tubing. If you are using the machine correctly the tubing should always be dry, so nothing can grow in it. If you see moisture droplets in it any time, simply disconnect the mouthpiece from the tubing and leave the compressor running for 10 minutes to dry it out.

Mouthpieces, whether regularly sterilized or not, should be replaced every 3-6 months based on your doctor's recommendation. Simply replace the tubing at the same time. When I order my replacement mouthpiece, I make sure new tubing is included.

How often do you replace the mouthpiece and solution chamber?
Sue

Jump to this post

Yikes! The tubing is supposed to be replaced every two weeks! Plus dry it out each time by running the compressor with just the tubing for 3 minutes or so. Then hang the tubing in a very safe place where it will not get disturbed by anyone. I hang mine in a section of my closet where nothing can touch it.

REPLY
1 reply
busybeans | @busybeans | Sep 27, 2022

Boy, this information about cleaning is just all over the place. I was told at NJH that the Aerobika and nebulizer should be washed in hot soapy water for 5 minutes after every use, and then steamed in the microwave once a week. I was also told the tubing does not need to be cleaned (just run the compressor for a minute or so to clear out any slight condensation) and then replace the tubing every two months. Is there an expert out there that might give us all a definitive answer? If there's a better mousetrap, I'm all for it. I have had NTM for 11 years and have cleared 3 different strains with no meds - just airway clearance. I still have Kansasii, bronchiectasis, pseudomonas, and two small cavities so I'm not home free by a long shot.

REPLY
3 replies
Mentor
Sue, Volunteer Mentor | @sueinmn | Sep 27, 2022
In reply to @busybeans "Boy, this information about cleaning is just all over the place. I was told at NJH..." + (show)
@busybeans

Boy, this information about cleaning is just all over the place. I was told at NJH that the Aerobika and nebulizer should be washed in hot soapy water for 5 minutes after every use, and then steamed in the microwave once a week. I was also told the tubing does not need to be cleaned (just run the compressor for a minute or so to clear out any slight condensation) and then replace the tubing every two months. Is there an expert out there that might give us all a definitive answer? If there's a better mousetrap, I'm all for it. I have had NTM for 11 years and have cleared 3 different strains with no meds - just airway clearance. I still have Kansasii, bronchiectasis, pseudomonas, and two small cavities so I'm not home free by a long shot.

Jump to this post

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

REPLY
3 replies
totty | @totty | Sep 27, 2022
In reply to @irenea8 "Yikes! The tubing is supposed to be replaced every two weeks! Plus dry it out each..." + (show)
@irenea8

Yikes! The tubing is supposed to be replaced every two weeks! Plus dry it out each time by running the compressor with just the tubing for 3 minutes or so. Then hang the tubing in a very safe place where it will not get disturbed by anyone. I hang mine in a section of my closet where nothing can touch it.

Jump to this post

So are you saying the nebulizer tubing should be replaced every two weeks? Where do you get this tubing without purchasing new nebulizer? We also replace oxygen tubing at two week intervals. Is this what others do?

REPLY
2 replies
irenea8 | @irenea8 | Sep 27, 2022
In reply to @totty "So are you saying the nebulizer tubing should be replaced every two weeks? Where do you..." + (show)
@totty

So are you saying the nebulizer tubing should be replaced every two weeks? Where do you get this tubing without purchasing new nebulizer? We also replace oxygen tubing at two week intervals. Is this what others do?

Jump to this post

My information says to replace every two weeks since you cannot clean or sterilize the tube. I get the tubing supplies from justnebulizers online. And they are not expensive so i get quite a few at once. But of course you have to get the tubing that goes with your compressor and cups. I use the Pari Vios compressor and another one by Pari but they both use the same tubing.

REPLY
Mentor
Sue, Volunteer Mentor | @sueinmn | Sep 27, 2022
In reply to @totty "So are you saying the nebulizer tubing should be replaced every two weeks? Where do you..." + (show)
@totty

So are you saying the nebulizer tubing should be replaced every two weeks? Where do you get this tubing without purchasing new nebulizer? We also replace oxygen tubing at two week intervals. Is this what others do?

Jump to this post

Hi totty - I always got a set of tubing with each neb cup. You can also order just tubing from just about any nebulizer supplier - for about $3-4 each. Neither one need a prescription. Before I switched to a handheld, I ordered my replacement parts 5 sets at a time, it was usually cheaper.
Sue

REPLY
rits | @rits | Sep 27, 2022
In reply to @busybeans "Boy, this information about cleaning is just all over the place. I was told at NJH..." + (show)
@busybeans

Boy, this information about cleaning is just all over the place. I was told at NJH that the Aerobika and nebulizer should be washed in hot soapy water for 5 minutes after every use, and then steamed in the microwave once a week. I was also told the tubing does not need to be cleaned (just run the compressor for a minute or so to clear out any slight condensation) and then replace the tubing every two months. Is there an expert out there that might give us all a definitive answer? If there's a better mousetrap, I'm all for it. I have had NTM for 11 years and have cleared 3 different strains with no meds - just airway clearance. I still have Kansasii, bronchiectasis, pseudomonas, and two small cavities so I'm not home free by a long shot.

Jump to this post

The tubing does not expose us to bacteria. Air comes through it from the compressor to the attached nebulizer cup. There is no bacteria in the air coming from the compressor. Any moisture in the tube came from the cup so it is whatever drug or saline and is not water. Detaching the tube from the cup and turning on the compressor for a few seconds will blow the moisture out. Thus the tubing can last a long time so long as we don't mess with it like by cleaning it.

REPLY
turnbacktheclock | @turnbacktheclock | Sep 28, 2022
In reply to @sueinmn "You are like me! So confused. We've used compressor-style nebulizers for over 30 years. Replaced neb..." + (show)
@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

Jump to this post

Thanks, Sue, for this info. I will be starting airway clearance and am interested in the brand of the handheld nebulizer you use.
Thank you.
J

REPLY
View MoreView Less
Please sign in or register to post a reply.