Though massively advertised, isthere any evidence that you need a CPAP cleaner or sanitizers like SoClean or Lumin tomarginalize your risk of infections when using CPAP therapy to treat sleepapnea? Review the purposes of CPAP cleaners, potential benefits, the costs, andpossible risks.
Keeping CPAP Equipment Clean
Manufacturers, suppliers, andsleep physicians recommend regular cleaning of continuous positiveairway pressure (CPAP) equipment. The tubing, mask, and water chambershould be cleaned daily (or at least weekly) with liquid dish soap and hotwater.
Besides, the device's filtershould be replaced every 2 to 4 weeks. Distilled water is meant to be used inthe water chamber to reduce risk.
CPAP Cleaning Step-by-Step
This cleaning standard may be anideal that not everyone lives up to. Some patients never clean their equipment.This may lead to significant problems, which comprise:
- Mucus may collect in the mask.
- Mold may grow in moist environments.
- Germs may be found in the tubing.
- There may be unpleasant smells.
- Minerals may accumulate within the water chamber.
- The equipment may appear unhygienic.
The potential risks with uncleanequipment could also be direct exposure to viruses, bacteria, and molds. Thismay increase the possibility of nasty colds, pneumonia, and even sinusinfections. But do these infections occur more often among CPAP users? Can CPAPmake you sick?
Options to Clean and SanitizeCPAP
Most professionals recommendcleaning CPAP equipment with hot water and liquid dish soap. In some cases,diluted vinegar with water is applied instead. This has been adequate toprevent widespread respiratory infections associated with CPAP use for decades.
Although, companies in the lastfew years have exploited fears and have developed a niche market of cleanersand sanitizers. What are the benefits, costs, and risks of these devices?
SoClean 2
Benefits: the device reportedlykills 99.9 percent of bacteria found in CPAP masks, tubing, and waterreservoirs -- this is based on controlled laboratory testing. It does this byreleasing ozone into a sealed container and, from the mask via the tubing, intothe CPAP device's internal chambers.
The mask does not have to bedismantled—it is placed directly in the container with the tubing pokingthrough a side hole. There is also a smaller travel version, the SoClean 2 Go, that operateson 8 AA batteries.
Risks: The residualsmell of ozone from SoClean may be risky and unpleasant. Ozone exposure ispotentially dangerous among those with respiratory conditions. Federal lawdescribes it as a "toxic gas with no known useful medicalapplication."
The Environmental ProtectionAgency says that comparatively low amounts of ozone can cause shortness ofbreath and worsen the chronic respiratory disease. Ironically, exposure to itmay jeopardize the body's ability to fight respiratory infections.
Cost: $398. Annual replacement parts: $30 (cartridgefilter kit)
