cleaning

[jsapper55]

I've seen post where people don't clean their machines for long periods of time. Let me relate this: my Airsense 10 started whining. I pulled an Escape II out if the storage unit and use that until the Airsense is fixed. Within 2 days I had a strepped throat. Err on the side of caution. Keep the units clean!

[trish6hundred]

Hi jsapper55,
WELCOME! to the forum.!
Good luck to you with CPAP therapy.

[Melman]

I've seen post where people don't clean their machines for long periods of time. Let me relate this: my Airsense 10 started whining. I pulled an Escape II out if the storage unit and use that until the Airsense is fixed. Within 2 days I had a strepped throat. Err on the side of caution. Keep the units clean!

It’s unfortunate that you had strep throat. It can be miserable. I hope you saw a doctor promptly as it responds quickly to antibiotic treatment.


I can assure you, and others reading this post, however, that you are mistaken in attributing it to using a machine that had been in storage and, as I imply from your post, not recently cleaned, for several reasons:
1)      The incubation period for the infection from exposure to symptoms is 2-5 days. To have full blown symptoms within 2 days of using the machine is extremely unlikely if it were the source.
2)      The causative organism, S pyogenes, is primarily spread from person-to-person via respiratory droplets, although it can also be spread by skin-to-skin contact.
3)      It will not survive for very long or grow on inanimate objects such as a CPAP machine. Transmission by fomites (contaminated inanimate objects such as water glasses) is extremely rare.

It is most likely that you picked it up from exposure to an infected person in the days before you pulled your old machine out of storage.

I’m not suggesting that equipment should not be cleaned regularly, but the risk of infection of any type from equipment that is used by only one person, even in the absence of frequent cleaning, is very low.
 

[srlevine1]

I've seen post where people don't clean their machines for long periods of time. Let me relate this: my Airsense 10 started whining. I pulled an Escape II out if the storage unit and use that until the Airsense is fixed. Within 2 days I had a strepped throat. Err on the side of caution. Keep the units clean!

Did you consider thoroughly cleaning the older machine with a disinfectant such as CONTROL III, changing the hose, filter, and mask? Could it be coincidence? However, thanks for the reminder -- I just pulled my backup Escape II out of the closet and gave it a cleaning just to be sure.