How often do you sterilize nebs?

R

Ratatosk

Administrator
Staff member
I didn't know any better when DS was in the NICU -- RTs using a community bottle of albuterol and storing it in the pocket of their scrubs. Ditto with the saline vials They'd also just hand the nebulizer on the wall after each use -- was connected to the air/oxygen tubing. Once in awhile someone would change it out -- usually after a week or so, sometimes it was stored in a plastic bag. Cringe today when I think about it.

We don't use the dishwasher 'cuz I only run it a couple times a week. I wash nebs in hot soapy water. If there's buildup from hard water, I'll give them a soak in vinegar to get rid of it, then wash in hot soapy water, rinse and boil for 10 minutes. I do this once a day, but have duplicate nebs, so we don't reuse them.

As per Amy, I bought a deep fryer for hotel visits and figure next time we travel on vacation, I'll get some microwave bags that are used for breast pump parts. When we were in mexico last year, it took FOREVER to boil water -- altitude issues...
 
R

Ratatosk

Administrator
Staff member
I didn't know any better when DS was in the NICU -- RTs using a community bottle of albuterol and storing it in the pocket of their scrubs. Ditto with the saline vials They'd also just hand the nebulizer on the wall after each use -- was connected to the air/oxygen tubing. Once in awhile someone would change it out -- usually after a week or so, sometimes it was stored in a plastic bag. Cringe today when I think about it.

We don't use the dishwasher 'cuz I only run it a couple times a week. I wash nebs in hot soapy water. If there's buildup from hard water, I'll give them a soak in vinegar to get rid of it, then wash in hot soapy water, rinse and boil for 10 minutes. I do this once a day, but have duplicate nebs, so we don't reuse them.

As per Amy, I bought a deep fryer for hotel visits and figure next time we travel on vacation, I'll get some microwave bags that are used for breast pump parts. When we were in mexico last year, it took FOREVER to boil water -- altitude issues...
 
R

Ratatosk

Administrator
Staff member
I didn't know any better when DS was in the NICU -- RTs using a community bottle of albuterol and storing it in the pocket of their scrubs. Ditto with the saline vials They'd also just hand the nebulizer on the wall after each use -- was connected to the air/oxygen tubing. Once in awhile someone would change it out -- usually after a week or so, sometimes it was stored in a plastic bag. Cringe today when I think about it.

We don't use the dishwasher 'cuz I only run it a couple times a week. I wash nebs in hot soapy water. If there's buildup from hard water, I'll give them a soak in vinegar to get rid of it, then wash in hot soapy water, rinse and boil for 10 minutes. I do this once a day, but have duplicate nebs, so we don't reuse them.

As per Amy, I bought a deep fryer for hotel visits and figure next time we travel on vacation, I'll get some microwave bags that are used for breast pump parts. When we were in mexico last year, it took FOREVER to boil water -- altitude issues...
 
L

lemonstolemonade

Guest
I sterilize Abby's neb parts with the medela breast feeding sterilization bags. You add water (I use bottled) and put it in the micro for a few minutes. It says it kiss 99.8% of all germies and bacterias, so I feel pretty secure. I discussed using it with our clinic's resp. therapist at our last visit and she was impressed with it and she has been contacting me frequently about cleaning and steralizing Abby's nebs since she was hospitalized with RSV. I was mortified in the hospital that they didn't do any steralization between treatments and I brought it up to the administration. It wasn't a CF hospital, but still...

Anyway, our clinic feels that the steam steralization is fine for now. Until they make a different suggestion or comment on a better way, it is the most user-friendly and quickest for me.

Ultimately, my goal is to provide excellent care for my child, BUT I want to spend time with her too!!! <img src="i/expressions/face-icon-small-smile.gif" border="0">

Emily
 
L

lemonstolemonade

Guest
I sterilize Abby's neb parts with the medela breast feeding sterilization bags. You add water (I use bottled) and put it in the micro for a few minutes. It says it kiss 99.8% of all germies and bacterias, so I feel pretty secure. I discussed using it with our clinic's resp. therapist at our last visit and she was impressed with it and she has been contacting me frequently about cleaning and steralizing Abby's nebs since she was hospitalized with RSV. I was mortified in the hospital that they didn't do any steralization between treatments and I brought it up to the administration. It wasn't a CF hospital, but still...

Anyway, our clinic feels that the steam steralization is fine for now. Until they make a different suggestion or comment on a better way, it is the most user-friendly and quickest for me.

Ultimately, my goal is to provide excellent care for my child, BUT I want to spend time with her too!!! <img src="i/expressions/face-icon-small-smile.gif" border="0">

Emily
 
L

lemonstolemonade

Guest
I sterilize Abby's neb parts with the medela breast feeding sterilization bags. You add water (I use bottled) and put it in the micro for a few minutes. It says it kiss 99.8% of all germies and bacterias, so I feel pretty secure. I discussed using it with our clinic's resp. therapist at our last visit and she was impressed with it and she has been contacting me frequently about cleaning and steralizing Abby's nebs since she was hospitalized with RSV. I was mortified in the hospital that they didn't do any steralization between treatments and I brought it up to the administration. It wasn't a CF hospital, but still...

Anyway, our clinic feels that the steam steralization is fine for now. Until they make a different suggestion or comment on a better way, it is the most user-friendly and quickest for me.

Ultimately, my goal is to provide excellent care for my child, BUT I want to spend time with her too!!! <img src="i/expressions/face-icon-small-smile.gif" border="0">

Emily
 
A

Alyssa

New member
Hello everyone -- I only skimmed all of the responses but I saw a couple people asking about killing PA or how does it work. Also something about baby bottle sterilizers.... ummmmmm my kids are 18 & 20 years old... so I don't know much about bottle sterilizers....so I'll have to skip that question :)

I think it works by high heat & ultraviolet light. It runs for 30 minutes and feels much like a blow dryer. We have put the spacer in there too and it came out completly dry. I would imagine if you found the website of the manufacturer it would tell you more about how it works and maybe how many bacteria it they claim it kills.

My guess would be that it does kill PA or that if it doesn't it doesn't really matter... because the basics behind having clean nebs is the "air drying" part -- everything that I have read or been told by the CF nurses is "PA is a water bug -- it has to have water in order to survive" as long as the neb cup has been cleaned with hot soapy water and put directly in the sanitizer and air dried, the PA cannot survive.

We have discussed the use of the germ guardian with both CF nurses and they both thought it sounded like a great idea. I didn't specifically discuss "is it killing any potential PA" but they didn't sound concerned in the least -- which fits in with my previous conversations with them about making sure the cups were dry.

It has been very convenient and we love having it -- if someone finds out that it isn't sufficient at killing PA or Cepacia I would certainly like to hear about it because we have stopped boiling every week.
 
A

Alyssa

New member
Hello everyone -- I only skimmed all of the responses but I saw a couple people asking about killing PA or how does it work. Also something about baby bottle sterilizers.... ummmmmm my kids are 18 & 20 years old... so I don't know much about bottle sterilizers....so I'll have to skip that question :)

I think it works by high heat & ultraviolet light. It runs for 30 minutes and feels much like a blow dryer. We have put the spacer in there too and it came out completly dry. I would imagine if you found the website of the manufacturer it would tell you more about how it works and maybe how many bacteria it they claim it kills.

My guess would be that it does kill PA or that if it doesn't it doesn't really matter... because the basics behind having clean nebs is the "air drying" part -- everything that I have read or been told by the CF nurses is "PA is a water bug -- it has to have water in order to survive" as long as the neb cup has been cleaned with hot soapy water and put directly in the sanitizer and air dried, the PA cannot survive.

We have discussed the use of the germ guardian with both CF nurses and they both thought it sounded like a great idea. I didn't specifically discuss "is it killing any potential PA" but they didn't sound concerned in the least -- which fits in with my previous conversations with them about making sure the cups were dry.

It has been very convenient and we love having it -- if someone finds out that it isn't sufficient at killing PA or Cepacia I would certainly like to hear about it because we have stopped boiling every week.
 
A

Alyssa

New member
Hello everyone -- I only skimmed all of the responses but I saw a couple people asking about killing PA or how does it work. Also something about baby bottle sterilizers.... ummmmmm my kids are 18 & 20 years old... so I don't know much about bottle sterilizers....so I'll have to skip that question :)

I think it works by high heat & ultraviolet light. It runs for 30 minutes and feels much like a blow dryer. We have put the spacer in there too and it came out completly dry. I would imagine if you found the website of the manufacturer it would tell you more about how it works and maybe how many bacteria it they claim it kills.

My guess would be that it does kill PA or that if it doesn't it doesn't really matter... because the basics behind having clean nebs is the "air drying" part -- everything that I have read or been told by the CF nurses is "PA is a water bug -- it has to have water in order to survive" as long as the neb cup has been cleaned with hot soapy water and put directly in the sanitizer and air dried, the PA cannot survive.

We have discussed the use of the germ guardian with both CF nurses and they both thought it sounded like a great idea. I didn't specifically discuss "is it killing any potential PA" but they didn't sound concerned in the least -- which fits in with my previous conversations with them about making sure the cups were dry.

It has been very convenient and we love having it -- if someone finds out that it isn't sufficient at killing PA or Cepacia I would certainly like to hear about it because we have stopped boiling every week.
 
N

NoExcuses

New member
<div class="FTQUOTE"><begin quote><i>Originally posted by: <b>Alyssa</b></i>


My guess would be that it does kill PA or that if it doesn't it doesn't really matter... because the basics behind having clean nebs is the "air drying" part -- everything that I have read or been told by the CF nurses is "PA is a water bug -- it has to have water in order to survive" as long as the neb cup has been cleaned with hot soapy water and put directly in the sanitizer and air dried, the PA cannot survive.
</end quote></div>

if that's true, then why sterilize at all? why would the CFF instruct patients to wash & sterilize their nebs? why not just wash then?
 
N

NoExcuses

New member
<div class="FTQUOTE"><begin quote><i>Originally posted by: <b>Alyssa</b></i>


My guess would be that it does kill PA or that if it doesn't it doesn't really matter... because the basics behind having clean nebs is the "air drying" part -- everything that I have read or been told by the CF nurses is "PA is a water bug -- it has to have water in order to survive" as long as the neb cup has been cleaned with hot soapy water and put directly in the sanitizer and air dried, the PA cannot survive.
</end quote></div>

if that's true, then why sterilize at all? why would the CFF instruct patients to wash & sterilize their nebs? why not just wash then?
 
N

NoExcuses

New member
<div class="FTQUOTE"><begin quote><i>Originally posted by: <b>Alyssa</b></i>


My guess would be that it does kill PA or that if it doesn't it doesn't really matter... because the basics behind having clean nebs is the "air drying" part -- everything that I have read or been told by the CF nurses is "PA is a water bug -- it has to have water in order to survive" as long as the neb cup has been cleaned with hot soapy water and put directly in the sanitizer and air dried, the PA cannot survive.
</end quote></div>

if that's true, then why sterilize at all? why would the CFF instruct patients to wash & sterilize their nebs? why not just wash then?
 
A

Alyssa

New member
Hahahaha... you caught me... I wondered the same thing as soon as I typed it, but I was in a hurry and didn't want to put any more thought into it :)

Ok, now I'll have to go check out the manufacturer information and talk to the nurses again :)
 
A

Alyssa

New member
Hahahaha... you caught me... I wondered the same thing as soon as I typed it, but I was in a hurry and didn't want to put any more thought into it :)

Ok, now I'll have to go check out the manufacturer information and talk to the nurses again :)
 
A

Alyssa

New member
Hahahaha... you caught me... I wondered the same thing as soon as I typed it, but I was in a hurry and didn't want to put any more thought into it :)

Ok, now I'll have to go check out the manufacturer information and talk to the nurses again :)
 
M

meadow

Guest
We bought a hot pot and boil them in that. The water boils a lot faster than on a stove. Make sure you find one that does not have a setting that turns it off when it reaches the boiling point. <img src="i/expressions/heart.gif" border="0">
I wash the nebs out in soapy water and then boil 6-7 minutes. I'm not sure how well my son does it when he is in his college dorm.

Debbie
 
M

meadow

Guest
We bought a hot pot and boil them in that. The water boils a lot faster than on a stove. Make sure you find one that does not have a setting that turns it off when it reaches the boiling point. <img src="i/expressions/heart.gif" border="0">
I wash the nebs out in soapy water and then boil 6-7 minutes. I'm not sure how well my son does it when he is in his college dorm.

Debbie
 
M

meadow

Guest
We bought a hot pot and boil them in that. The water boils a lot faster than on a stove. Make sure you find one that does not have a setting that turns it off when it reaches the boiling point. <img src="i/expressions/heart.gif" border="0">
I wash the nebs out in soapy water and then boil 6-7 minutes. I'm not sure how well my son does it when he is in his college dorm.

Debbie
 
N

NoExcuses

New member
<div class="FTQUOTE"><begin quote><i>Originally posted by: <b>Alyssa</b></i>

Hahahaha... you caught me... I wondered the same thing as soon as I typed it, but I was in a hurry and didn't want to put any more thought into it :)



Ok, now I'll have to go check out the manufacturer information and talk to the nurses again :)</end quote></div>


No "catching" here. We're all in this game together in hopes that all CF patients live longer, healthier, more productive lives <img src="i/expressions/face-icon-small-smile.gif" border="0"> <img src="i/expressions/face-icon-small-smile.gif" border="0"> <img src="i/expressions/face-icon-small-smile.gif" border="0">
 
N

NoExcuses

New member
<div class="FTQUOTE"><begin quote><i>Originally posted by: <b>Alyssa</b></i>

Hahahaha... you caught me... I wondered the same thing as soon as I typed it, but I was in a hurry and didn't want to put any more thought into it :)



Ok, now I'll have to go check out the manufacturer information and talk to the nurses again :)</end quote></div>


No "catching" here. We're all in this game together in hopes that all CF patients live longer, healthier, more productive lives <img src="i/expressions/face-icon-small-smile.gif" border="0"> <img src="i/expressions/face-icon-small-smile.gif" border="0"> <img src="i/expressions/face-icon-small-smile.gif" border="0">
 
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