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Is there a Science based Reason for heat drying nebulizer equipment?
Inquiring minds need to know! Bronchiectasis, and the personal cares surrounding it, can take a chunk out of a busy life. My goal has always been to streamline each action to the minimum that is safe and effective. Sterilizing equipment - how, how long, how often... can be a huge piece of that - or not - depending on how one operates.
In my "minimalist" world, I have, for many years, sterilized my equipment in a pan of distilled water on the stovetop, then removed the still very hot pieces to a clean towel, where they air dry completely in a matter of minutes. Then I store in a covered container.
Members post a variety of procedures for sterilizing nebulizing equipment, and I have ALWAYS been puzzled by the emphasis on drying the equipment in a baby bottle sterilizer or other device.
I can see using the drying feature on a baby bottle sterilizer if you are already using it to sterilize your equipment. But some people here use microwave steam bags to sterilize the equipment, then transfer it to another device to dry. Is there any evidence-based information to demonstrate that this is safer or better than simply putting it on a towel to air dry? After all, any remaining droplets are NTM-free after sterilization.
We know that Dr Jennifer Honda is in final stages of determining how long to boil equipment, and which devices are up to the task, but I'm not sure if drying is part of the evaluations.
Please note - this is NOT meant to be a discussion about whether air drying allows a few particles of NTM or other germs to fall onto the equipment - even in an ideal scenario, that will happen simply while transferring and/or using it, and is not a big risk since this would be on the outside.
So here is the question - Can you point us to any study or publication from a research- or science-based source like NJH. NTM-ir, or the lung association, that suggests heat-drying is necessary?
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"Is there a Science based Reason for heat drying nebulizer equipment?"
No, I do not think there is. Sterilization yes. Drying no. In fact, Pari states that after sanitizing, equipment should be air dried. For me, using the steamer's dryer function is a matter of convenience. So far it has not harmed the handset (as far as I know!)
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1 Reaction@sueinnm I've never read anything regarding benefits of drying the parts in a dryer vs air drying. I switched to a baby bottle sterilizer/dryer strictly for convenience and because I didn't like having the parts sitting on my counter to dry, nor do I want a pot of distilled water on my stove at all times. So I can understand using a dryer to get them off the kitchen counter. I keep my sterilizer on a small table in my craft room and transfer the parts to it after soaking/rinsing so nothing stays in the kitchen.
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2 ReactionsI see you mentioned distilled water to boil equipment. I’ve been using unfiltered tap water to boil equipment 5-10 minutes. Would this be OK instead of using distilled water?
@legacygsh1 I think the reason for using distilled water is just to prevent mineral buildup on the equipment.
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3 ReactionsCough cough....back in the late 80s...we never threw away equipment in the hospital. Everything that could be cleaned was. Had huge dryers that used heat. Used CIDEX(without a mask on) to clean everything.
Now almost EVERYTHING is disposable.
"In my "minimalist" world, I have, for many years, sterilized my equipment in a pan of distilled water on the stovetop, then removed the still very hot pieces to a clean towel, where they air dry completely in a matter of minutes. Then I store in a covered container."
EXCELLENT!!!!!!!!! 🙂
So from a 70 year old RRT with life long Asthma:
1. Yes distilled water is used for mineral build up. Vinegar is another good thing for mineral build up.
2. I throw my Nebulizer in the dishwasher and I have more then one Neb. Sterilization complete. I don't use the dishwasher with my Nebs until I've taken at least 6 treatments.....see below.
3. I air dry after a treatment. Rinse the Neb with vinegar and water.
I'm still alive.