For those who don’t know CPAP stands for Continuous, Positive, Airway, Pressure. This is a form of non-invasive ventilation where positive pressure is delivered and maintained throughout the entire breathing cycle.
Before we get into the topic, and a bit deeper explanation of this device you have to know one important thing – this device is never to be administered to a patient that isn’t breathing spontaneously because this device doesn’t offer mechanical breaths. Now when we got that thing out of the way let’s get on with the article.
CPAP is a device that offers its user activity when both IPAP or inspiratory and EPAP or expiratory pressures are equal, and that is exactly where it gets its name. Continuous pressure is being delivered throughout the both inspiratory and expiratory phase of breathing. But right about now, those of you who don’t use it are probably wondering well what do you use a CPAP device. The primary indication of CPAP is obstructive sleep apnea that is caused by an airflow obstruction that happens together with continuous breathing efforts. CPAP will help patients with these problems by applying a continuous positive airway pressure that decreases apnea episodes by keeping the patient’s airway open.
Now that we got a general idea of what this is for, you should know that this device also requires regular cleaning to keep it fully operational, since it is doing such an important task. Today’s article will tell you about the things you need to know before you go and buy CPAP cleaners on cleancap.net.
1. Choose wisely
Source: thecpapshop.com
Cleaning and maintaining will prolong the life of any machine, and this goes for your CPAP as well. the most important thing is that you honour the regular cleaning intervals and by doing so you will prolong the life of your CPAP device. Another important thing is to wisely choose the cleaners for the device since it has a lot of sensitive parts and choosing a cleaner that will affect the integrity of certain parts is not something you want. Another thing to consider is that regular cleaning of the CPAP device will prolong its life but it will also be a lot healthier for you. Tubing, around the mask as well as inside the device might get swarmed by bacteria and germs that might affect your health.
2. Cleaning routines
Since CPAP device is so sensitive and needs your attention the best way to give that is to have certain routines. Before you dive into buying a CPAP cleaner you have to know that there are certain things you can do yourself easily by having these routines. You can divide them into daily, weekly and monthly. The daily cleaning routine will mostly be wiping down the mask thoroughly every morning to get all the oils and the sweats of it. Weekly cleaning means that you have to pay attention to tubing and your humidification tank. These two things should be rinsed every two days but you should give them a very good and thoroughly clean every week. Monthly cleaning routines will consist of cleaning the device itself and a bit of all-around cleaning. This routine will mean you will have to sanitize your device with ozone or with UV light and change your CPAP filter.
3. Cleaning kits
Source: jbmedical.org
Now when you decide on the brand of your CPAP cleaner try and focus on the kits. The main reason for this is that kits offer a full range of products for every part of your CPAP device. With this, you will ease yourself and reduce the time needed to buy individual products for every part. Kits come with everything you need for your cleaning routines and they include sanitizing wipes for the mask, then soap for CPAP mask and hose for your weekly cleaning routines and eventually. Some kits will also come with de-scaler fluid, and the reason for this is that some people don’t tend to use distilled water for the humification chamber. By avoiding distilled water for the humidification chamber, you most likely end up with mineral buildup on the bottom of your machine which can eventually lead to rust. This de-scaler is great and you mix it in a certain ratio with water to get your perfectly cleaned scale-free device. Last is a special tube brush that should be a part of any kit and it’s designed to help you clean your tubes easily and without a lot of hassle.
4. Be careful with the cleaner ingredients
As we previously stated certain parts of the CPAP device are very sensitive and you have to very careful with the way you maintain them and with what you clean them. Many of the cleaners will have ingredients that will clean the device well but they will not regard the safety and longevity of the parts. What you need to do is find a cleaner kit or parts you need that are free of any alcohol bleach, conditioners, moisturizers and similar things. The reason behind this is that certain parts like the mask and tubing are made out of silicone and you have to have a cleaner that is silicone friendly for it to retain silicone’ softness and integrity. Anything other than that will affect the material, by degrading it and reducing its lifespan.
5. Always uphold the instructions
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On devices like this, instructions are very important. With the purchase of the CPAP device, you will get all of the manufacturers’ instructions and you should uphold them. Even the slightest detour or cut corner will mean that your device might end up with a shorter life span, or even end up broken, clogged and stop doing its primary function. Since this device is supposed to help patients get to sleep and maintain its quality, it is necessary to strictly follow what the manufacturer suggests and regarding maintenance, cleaning and safety issues. Instructions issued with the device will also help you maintain the CPAPs noise levels down, and retain good data features that are important to patients with condition that requires these devices.
