<div class="FTQUOTE"><begin quote><i>Originally posted by: <b>littlemisssilly</b></i>
Hi Guys,
I haven't posted in a while but still check out what's happening on this site on a regular basis.
I've had the eflow for 3 months and to be honest, it's more trouble than it's worth. I love the portability and quietness of it, but honestly, that's it. I only use it when I'm staying over my partner's place or travelling, otherwise, I use the regular pari neb.
Yes, the aerosole head needs to be cleaned after each use and I in fact, boil the nebulsier unit and the head each morning and night when I finish my treatment. I use ventolin (in am) followed by HS, then just do Pulmozyme in the evening.
I use distilled water and that does get expensive. More importantly, distilled water needs to be boiled for 10min first to ensure it is sterile. Given that the head needs to be cleaned after each use, I rinse it under tap water quickly with detergent (to remove medication residue) then emerse it in the boiling distilled water for 5min along with the other neb unit. This is unavoidable because like Amy said, I don't want to take the risk of infecting my lungs with the bacteria that frequent unboiled water.
So, I repeat this process both day and night! The time that may be saved whilst using the eflow during nebuslisation is overshadowed by the time spent boiling / cleaning the unit effectively. I have been maticulous with the care of this product since day one, and after using for 3 months (and have NOT used it daily) my neb times have gone from from under 5 min to 15 min because the aerosole head inevitably gets blocked.
I'm in Australia and therfore, have no direct contact with the compnay itself rather, I deal with the distributor here. I think the marketing of this product has really been misguided. Yes, it's quiet / efficient etc but all these other issues with the product need to be conveyed to people with CF so that we can make an informed choice about whether to spend the money or not.
Like I said, it's great for travel because it's small and quiet which is a blessing BUT the care / maintenance of it is another story. My regular pari proneb does Ventolin and 5ml HS in 30min. The elow in 15min if I include the time it takes to clean / boil / assemble etc it takes just as long.
Sorry for the long post! This issue is close to my heart!!</end quote></div>
Thank you for sharing the pros/cons of the eFlow. It is good to hear your hands on experience.<img src="i/expressions/face-icon-small-smile.gif" border="0"> Lately I have been hearing more cons then pros concerning this nebulizer for the reasons you described.
I am sure Amy will share her experience with it when she receives it and uses it for a time.<img src="i/expressions/face-icon-small-wink.gif" border="0"> After hearing how she likes it I will decide whether or not it is worth switching to it.
