warning, keep breathing equipment clean!

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azgirl

Senior member
Joined
Jan 20, 2014
Messages
961
Reason
PALS
Diagnosis
12/2013
Country
US
State
AZ
City
Tucson
I have had two breathing emergencies lately caused by ignorance about how to clean trilogy and my nose pillow masks.

we didn't realize there was little foam filter On trilogy that needs cleaned weekly. It became totally clogged after a year. I thought it was just me and breathing decline.

the second issue was we were not cleaning tiny holes on nose pillow mask,. It caused water build up in tubing that felt like drowning.

we were vigilant about cleaning tubing, humidifiers and nose pieces. But these other errors were unnecessary and stupid. I'm trying to save the rest of you from my mistake,.

the moral of this story is know your equipment!
.
 
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thank you, I know I am way too casual about cleaning my gear. Hope you're ok!
 
Thanks for the warning. I wash face cushion with dish soap daily and soak everything in vinegar weekly. Don’t need no stinkin’ respiratory infections!
 
Thank you! I just started Trilogy last week and you reminded me about the little filter.
Cathy
 
Just FYI, you can buy those little filters in bulk on Amazon and they're very cheap. Sometimes we have to weigh convenience and time saving against the waste throwing them away involves. My housemate uses a C-Pap (he is too young for Medicare) and it's cheaper for him to buy some of the supplies outright than pay the co-pay.
 
Note -- some machines have two filters -- the thin white one and the foam grey one. Also, you do not want the optional cutouts that you may see marketed as "virus/bacteria filters," that go into hoses or masks, as they restrict air flow.
 
Also, when you clean with vinegar, make sure you thoroughly rinse it so the PALS doesn't get irritation from inhaling.
 
I favor vinegar/distilled water mixes, rather than straight vinegar, which, as you point out can be irritating for P/CALS (and also damage silicone, why it's used to remove caulk).

For those wondering, the reason we say distilled water only for humidifier and other chambers and inside hoses is that mineral residues cause white dust, gunk and clogs, besides the possibility of contamination.
 
I dilute one part vinegar to 9 parts water for cleaning. I’ve used tap water for the cleaning and distilled water when operating the machine.
 
I think it was about a year before I was made aware that there was that little grey foam filter that needed cleaning, thankfully we didn't have a breathing crisis with the dirty one. I was probably told about it at the beginning but was so overwhelmed with my husband coming home on a vent it didn't register.

We were told to wash it with warm water and mild detergent ( used Dawn) and let it thoroughly air dry before reinserting. I still have the Trilogy manual and that's what the company recommends. As it's the air inlet filter maybe it doesn't require any " bug killers"?
 
Yes, the foam filter is fine w/ water/detergent; you would not want to use vinegar with any filters. They are not that robust.
 
I currently use a cpap for sleep apnea. I purchased a soclean to disinfect and clean the machine. The instructions say it will also work on Bi-Paps.
 
Kate, good to hear others made that error, I don't feel so negligent. so thankful to Laurie who has gotten us through a crisis or two or ten!
 
Your reminder was perfect. I have been waking with a sore throat and realized that I hadn't cleaned the little filter since well before allergy season. Washed it yesterday and feeling better today! Thanks!
 
Lisa, just a reminder to swap out your CPAP for a BiPAP ASAP -- it puts additional stress on your breathing. The doc who wrote for your CPAP can do that. It may require a special med necessity letter depending on your breathing parameters but is worth it.

Thanks for the kind words, azgirl. As a reminder, anyone who needs settings or other machine help, please message me.

Best,
Laurie
 
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