Covid-19, CPAP cleaning regimen

[colomom]

Does anyone have any recommendations on changes to the normal cleaning regimen in light of covid-19?
My 18 year old son has a number of health issues including asthma and OSA, his treatments for pulmonary issues are CPAP with an oxygen bleed and a maintenance inhaler 2x per day + rescue inhaler as needed.

Our current cleaning regimen for his CPAP is emptying and drying the humidifier chamber and wiping the mask with a baby wipe daily. We clean the mask, hose, and humidifier chamber with soap and water one a week. We also clean and change out filters on a more aggressive schedule than the manufacturer recommends.

My son has higher risk of exposure to because he encounters numerous people each day while attending college and his pulmonary issues put him in a higher risk category, so I wonder if we should step up our cleaning regimen.

I am considering wiping his mask and buttons on his machine with a 70% alcohol wipe each day. I figure his mask might degrade more quickly with the addition of the alcohol cleaning, is there any additional harm beyond that to consider?

Any other helpful suggestions?

[Lifeisabeach]

Vinegar is perfectly competent at killing viruses and bacteria, so I would use that on the mask and hose over alcohol to avoid degrading the material.

[Lifeisabeach]

You know, I just have to ask... how exactly do you expect this extra cleaning will protect him? Will the equipment be cleaned after using it at night? If so, well then he'd have potentially been using infected equipment, so it's too late. Before going to bed? If the virus is already in the house, then how is that going to help if it's already in the air and other surfaces?

I am by no means saying you have no cause for concern or shouldn't be taking precautions, but there's so much hysteria over this virus and folks are focusing on the wrong preventative measures and being completely irrational about it all. The focus should be on shared environments and surfaces, not so much things that are uniquely his. If his equipment is contaminated, and only he uses and handles it, then he's the one contaminating it. It's really that simple.

On a somewhat more helpful note, there is data showing that using a humidifier will help prevent viral infections, so he should be using his humidifier with the CPAP. For the water, be aware of how you source it. Obviously, buying distilled water from a store where others have handled the bottles is a risk vector. It's ok to use tap water, but you have to be meticulous about keeping the water chamber clean to avoid mineral deposit buildup. Consider getting a home distiller as a long term option. I personally get my water for my humidifier from the FreshPure dispenser at stores like Whole Foods that purify the water and blast it with UV as it's dispensed into my own containers.

[jnk...]

My understanding is that one human with properly washed hands touching, using, and cleaning his own CPAP machine according to manufacturer's instructions has no known increased risk of infection by a virus.

As far as CPAP use, make sure he gets enough good-quality sleep and uses humidification to prevent dry nasal passages. Consult a medical professional with questions about how age, medical conditions, and use of any immunity-suppressing drugs should affect individual social-distancing choices.

[chunkyfrog]

I don't believe there is anything different I can do to my cpap that would make a difference.
All that is inside our home. Outside the home, we might use wipes on our hands,
door handles, and anything we touch in public.
I am thinking of washing my reusable grocery bags, though.
Not that I expect it to help; but some are looking pretty grubby.

[palerider]

My son has higher risk of exposure to because he encounters numerous people each day while attending college and his pulmonary issues put him in a higher risk category, so I wonder if we should step up our cleaning regimen.

I am considering wiping his mask and buttons on his machine with a 70% alcohol wipe each day. I figure his mask might degrade more quickly with the addition of the alcohol cleaning, is there any additional harm beyond that to consider?

Any other helpful suggestions?

I see no reason whatsoever to change the cleaning regime at all... unless these potentially sick people are in his bedroom, coughing on his cpap.

The germs on the cpap are going to be COMING FROM YOUR SON.

[palerider]

Vinegar is perfectly competent at killing viruses and bacteria, so I would use that on the mask and hose over alcohol to avoid degrading the material.

Alcohol does not bother the silicone, or the plastic.

[palerider]

It's ok to use tap water, but you have to be meticulous about keeping the water chamber clean to avoid mineral deposit buildup.

Actually, cleaning it every month or two is fine, depending on how fast the mineral buildup happens. People all over the world use tap water.

[Lifeisabeach]

Vinegar is perfectly competent at killing viruses and bacteria, so I would use that on the mask and hose over alcohol to avoid degrading the material.

Alcohol does not bother the silicone, or the plastic.

Most resources, including ResMed, say differently. Hard plastic, sure, no problem, but I wouldn't use it on soft silicone.

[Lifeisabeach]

It's ok to use tap water, but you have to be meticulous about keeping the water chamber clean to avoid mineral deposit buildup.

Actually, cleaning it every month or two is fine, depending on how fast the mineral buildup happens. People all over the world use tap water.

I've had pink slime build up much faster than that... in about a week or so. Of course it could have been my particular water source at the time, which was store-bought distilled water actually. But when I say being "meticulous" in cleaning, I mean more meticulous than I am, because I'm horribly lax even if I know what I should be doing. The water I use now, which is purified-on-demand, has made me even more lax since I never have any residue or buildup. Ever.

[palerider]

Vinegar is perfectly competent at killing viruses and bacteria, so I would use that on the mask and hose over alcohol to avoid degrading the material.

Alcohol does not bother the silicone, or the plastic.

Most resources, including ResMed, say differently. Hard plastic, sure, no problem, but I wouldn't use it on soft silicone.

Most resources say that silicone is not affected by alcohol, here's two:

https://www.coleparmer.com/chemical-resistance
https://www.customadvanced.com/chemical ... &rubber=SI

Now, *LOTS* of people who don't know anything about chemical interactions say that alcohol is bad for silicone.

What *IS* bad for silicone is oil, alcohol removes oil easily.

[palerider]

It's ok to use tap water, but you have to be meticulous about keeping the water chamber clean to avoid mineral deposit buildup.

Actually, cleaning it every month or two is fine, depending on how fast the mineral buildup happens. People all over the world use tap water.

I've had pink slime build up much faster than that... in about a week or so. Of course it could have been my particular water source at the time, which was store-bought distilled water actually. But when I say being "meticulous" in cleaning, I mean more meticulous than I am, because I'm horribly lax even if I know what I should be doing. The water I use now, which is purified-on-demand, has made me even more lax since I never have any residue or buildup. Ever.

"pink slime" is caused by an airborne bacteria, serratia marcescens, not from the water, and has nothing at all to do with mineral buildup.

[Chalkie]

I am making sure I clean hose and mask extra long each day.

As for our extra mortality risk (if any) as apnoea sufferers/xPAP users, with a virus that attacks the respiratory system, anyone got a view on that?

[jnk...]

I am making sure I clean hose and mask extra long each day.

As for our extra mortality risk (if any) as apnoea sufferers/xPAP users, with a virus that attacks the respiratory system, anyone got a view on that?

Not yet.

Many of the comorbidities related to untreated OSA appear to be associated with severe reactions to the virus. But that could also be said of many complicated health issues that have been studied much longer than this recent developing threat. Too many unknown factors at this point. The China data doesn't appear to be lining up well with data from other locations, perhaps because of some smoking/pollution factors.

[chunkyfrog]

"Severe reactions" . . .
Would that be the cytokine storm?