Trouble with Neb Cleaning (new equipments seems to cause more problems than it solves)
I just learned about the Avent IQ24 and the Germ Guardian.
My five-year-old son has CF and my wife typically does the treatments. We usually wash the neb cups in the dishwasher and let them air dry on paper towels. We sometimes forget to get them out of the dishwasher before bed, leaving them in over night, which seems bad. I have wanted a better system, for that reason, but our CF clinic has not been very helpful in this area, with no real clear direction on how to manage these details.
We are on vacation and had to buy a new nebulizer. The sales rep said DO NOT run neb cups in the dishwasher, as it could affect their function. So, my wife and I started asking questions and learned that many CFers or parents are using bottle steamers. One person told me to get the Avent IQ24 to sterilize with steam after hand washing and rinsing. And, then get a Germ Guardian to dry the cups after, and hold them there to remain clean until use. Sounded great, so I bought both machines.
I have already ruined several neb cups in these devices. I thought it was the germ guardian, so I stopped using it. I was hand washing, and steam sterilizing, and drying on paper towels. But, tonight, I melted a new neb cup after one use in the steamer.
I called our CF clinic and spoke to a respiratory therapist who was not familiar with the Avent or Germ Guardian for CF neb cup cleaning. He said most use the dishwasher, or in the alternative, suggested that we soak in alcohol.
My son takes Albuterol and Pulmozyme through the nebulizer. I am not sure what our specific cups are named. We have always just used what they give us at the CF clinic, and probably have used them way too long in most cases. The ones that were most obviously damaged by the new equipment had green cone-shaped inserts, made by Salter. The cones warped from the heat. But, I also damaged another of our old type, with a blue stem insert, as evidenced by the excessive gurgling and sputtering sound it made the next time we used it.
Today, I put two new nebs with the cone inserts in the steamer. One was tinted light green and one was dark green. The light green one warped. I am not sure which was which now, but I had one cheap neb cup and one expensive one, so I assume the insert from the cheap one was the light green one that melted. I am curious if others are having this trouble with the Avent IQ24. What suggestions do you have?
I also don't like that the Germ Guardian does not have a functional floor on the plastic container. The inserts for the neb cups fall through the wide cracks and rest on the metal grating below, which seems like it would get HOT. Doesn't that damage parts?
Also, the instructions say to NOT put wet items in, yet I understand CFers take their nebs out of the steamer and put them into the GG for drying and further sanitizing. Why does the GG say no wet items, and why is it okay to do it anyway?
Finally, I am just now paying more attention to all this and noticing that our tubing gets a lot of moisture in it. I saw moisture today with the NEW neb cups on first use. I understand that blowing out the tubes with the compressor running after the meds are done, to dry them, is good. But, does that really do much if there is bacteria in the moisture? For example, if my kid coughs in the mask, which he does, doesn't some of that get into the neb cup, and thereby perhaps drip into the tube with whatever liquid seems to be collecting there during the neb treatment? ERGO... isn't all the neb cup sterilization a waste of time, if germs are growing in the tube?
This all seems complicated and easy to screw up. I am happy to do it, if it makes the difference, but I wonder what the right procedures are and how to avoid the trouble I am having. So far, my wife has steered clear of the new equipment and I have been doing the treatments and cleaning, to try to get our new process down. We would appreciate more tips from those with experience in these issues.
Thanks.
I just learned about the Avent IQ24 and the Germ Guardian.
My five-year-old son has CF and my wife typically does the treatments. We usually wash the neb cups in the dishwasher and let them air dry on paper towels. We sometimes forget to get them out of the dishwasher before bed, leaving them in over night, which seems bad. I have wanted a better system, for that reason, but our CF clinic has not been very helpful in this area, with no real clear direction on how to manage these details.
We are on vacation and had to buy a new nebulizer. The sales rep said DO NOT run neb cups in the dishwasher, as it could affect their function. So, my wife and I started asking questions and learned that many CFers or parents are using bottle steamers. One person told me to get the Avent IQ24 to sterilize with steam after hand washing and rinsing. And, then get a Germ Guardian to dry the cups after, and hold them there to remain clean until use. Sounded great, so I bought both machines.
I have already ruined several neb cups in these devices. I thought it was the germ guardian, so I stopped using it. I was hand washing, and steam sterilizing, and drying on paper towels. But, tonight, I melted a new neb cup after one use in the steamer.
I called our CF clinic and spoke to a respiratory therapist who was not familiar with the Avent or Germ Guardian for CF neb cup cleaning. He said most use the dishwasher, or in the alternative, suggested that we soak in alcohol.
My son takes Albuterol and Pulmozyme through the nebulizer. I am not sure what our specific cups are named. We have always just used what they give us at the CF clinic, and probably have used them way too long in most cases. The ones that were most obviously damaged by the new equipment had green cone-shaped inserts, made by Salter. The cones warped from the heat. But, I also damaged another of our old type, with a blue stem insert, as evidenced by the excessive gurgling and sputtering sound it made the next time we used it.
Today, I put two new nebs with the cone inserts in the steamer. One was tinted light green and one was dark green. The light green one warped. I am not sure which was which now, but I had one cheap neb cup and one expensive one, so I assume the insert from the cheap one was the light green one that melted. I am curious if others are having this trouble with the Avent IQ24. What suggestions do you have?
I also don't like that the Germ Guardian does not have a functional floor on the plastic container. The inserts for the neb cups fall through the wide cracks and rest on the metal grating below, which seems like it would get HOT. Doesn't that damage parts?
Also, the instructions say to NOT put wet items in, yet I understand CFers take their nebs out of the steamer and put them into the GG for drying and further sanitizing. Why does the GG say no wet items, and why is it okay to do it anyway?
Finally, I am just now paying more attention to all this and noticing that our tubing gets a lot of moisture in it. I saw moisture today with the NEW neb cups on first use. I understand that blowing out the tubes with the compressor running after the meds are done, to dry them, is good. But, does that really do much if there is bacteria in the moisture? For example, if my kid coughs in the mask, which he does, doesn't some of that get into the neb cup, and thereby perhaps drip into the tube with whatever liquid seems to be collecting there during the neb treatment? ERGO... isn't all the neb cup sterilization a waste of time, if germs are growing in the tube?
This all seems complicated and easy to screw up. I am happy to do it, if it makes the difference, but I wonder what the right procedures are and how to avoid the trouble I am having. So far, my wife has steered clear of the new equipment and I have been doing the treatments and cleaning, to try to get our new process down. We would appreciate more tips from those with experience in these issues.
Thanks.