How Often To Change Nasal Cannula

The Importance of Changing Your Nasal Cannula

Posted by Duke on Oct 2, 2018 4:02:37 AM

When you have received a COPD diagnosis, it is often followed by a prescription for medical grade oxygen.

You lot are left feeling overwhelmed with a wealth of new knowledge you lot must retain. With COPD yous may take a need for supplemental medical grade oxygen. Medical class oxygen treatment is typically delivered through a tube with two nasal prongs. This is better known as a nasal cannula.

Nasal cannulas are designed to be inserted into your nostrils and fastened to your portable or home oxygen concentrator. Meaning they become muddied very rapidly and regularly. So y'all need to make it a meridian priority to regularly supercede and clean your nasal cannulas.

Reading COPD forums and blogs, there are countless patients proverb something along the lines of "my oxygen provider tells me to only change my nasal cannula after I've had a respiratory infection, such as a cold." Or "with regular cleaning you should merely replace your nasal cannula i-2 times a month."

This is problematic because nasal cannulas are made of plastic, which will deteriorate and get infected with germs over time. Even more so when you lot are ill.

Often times you may non exist able to run across the deterioration in the class of tiny cracks that let bacteria and mold to thrive, while dirt, grit, and pollen can get stuck in these cracks. Nasal cannulas and tubing are like a petri dish for germs and bacteria.

Allow's talk over how to ensure healthy utilize of your nasal cannulas with oxygen therapy.

Change Your Nasal Cannula Every 10 Days

Depending on who yous talk to, some manufacturers recommend changing your nasal cannulas once a calendar week while others say once a month. It'southward the same story when you talk to your health care provider.

With conflicting opinions y'all are left confused, then to save money y'all may choose to lean towards using ane or 2 cannulas per month.

The biggest factor for deciding when to alter your nasal cannula is your wellness. If at anytime you accept been sick or call up you may be coming down with something, y'all should immediately change your cannula. By doing so you volition help minimize the spreading of germs.

If you choose not to supervene upon your cannula later being ill, you will however exist at risk for a bacterial infection due to the bacteria still being present on the cannula and tubing. Plus, if the virus is still living in the cannula it can mutate and bear upon you even worse than before.

Fifty-fifty if you aren't ill, by only replacing your cannula 1-2 times a calendar month, you are leaving yourself open to large amounts of leaner that is building upwards on your nasal cannula. Which could potentially lead to the flu, common common cold, or pneumonia.

With that said, nosotros recommend that you modify your nasal cannulas every 10 days.

Constructive Cannula Cleaning to Minimize Infections

When using a nasal cannula, it'due south extremely important that yous make clean your cannula later on each use. If you are prescribed oxygen 24/seven, you should aim to make clean your cannula 1 to 2 times per mean solar day, or more oftentimes if you lot are currently sick.

Doing and then will help to further protect yourself from bacteria building up on your nasal cannula and infecting you.

Disinfecting your cannula only takes a few minutes. But wipe down the nasal prongs with an booze wipe or swab, let to dry, and it'southward ready for apply.

You lot should also utilise warm water mixed with disinfecting dish soap and a one-half loving cup of white vinegar to clean your cannula each week.

How to Clean Your Nasal Cannula

Daily Cleaning

• Footstep one: Later on each use, you should disinfect your nasal cannula with an booze pad or swab.

Weekly Cleaning

At to the lowest degree 1-2 times per week you should clean and disinfect your nasal cannula:

• Step 1: Fill up a bowl with warm or mild water mixed with disinfecting lather and half a cup of white vinegar.
• Step ii: Allow your cannula to soak in a bowl with the solution for at least two minutes.
• Step 3: Rinse your nasal cannula with h2o.
• Step 4: Hang and allow to air dry completely before using again.

Afterwards cleaning your cannula you lot should hang it upwardly and permit to completely air dry out before using again. These cleanings tips nevertheless utilize when apart of our cannula program.

Conclusion

Yous should now accept a wealth of knowledge when it comes to the importance of regularly changing your nasal cannulas.

Remember, by changing your nasal cannulas every 10 days yous will prevent the spreading of disease worsening germs that can atomic number 82 to the mutual cold, flu, or fifty-fifty pneumonia. And as a patient with COPD, you need to do everything yous can to minimize COPD exacerbations.

To aid you minimize COPD exacerbations, download our ebook: 13 Simple Strategies You Tin Use Today to Help Yous Prevent and Manage COPD Exacerbations

Topics: COPD, portable oxygen, Nasal Cannulas

Source: http://www.1stclassmed.com/blog/the-importance-of-changing-your-nasal-cannula

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