Microbial contamination of domiciliary nebuliser therapy equipment.
Fifty-two outpatients requiring domiciliary nebulised bronchodilator therapy were studied to determine the frequency and degree of contamination of nebuliser solutions and equipment. In 32 of the 52 patients (61%) nebuliser solutions and/or aerosols were contaminated. The degree of contamination was greater than that of ambient air in 90% of the contaminated aerosols. Diluent solutions were more frequently contaminated than salbutamol solutions (51% vs. 9%) and the organisms isolated from the solutions frequently correlated with those in aerosols. Gram-negative bacilli, particularly Pseudomonas species, were the most frequently isolated organisms.
D000336:Aerosols; D000420:Albuterol / Q000627:therapeutic use; D001419:Bacteria / Q000302:isolation & purification*; D002175:Candida / Q000302:isolation & purification; D004866:Equipment Contamination; D006801:Humans; D007709:Klebsiella / Q000302:isolation & purification; D010614:Pharynx / Q000382:microbiology; D011549:Pseudomonas / Q000302:isolation & purification; D012138:Respiratory Therapy / Q000009:adverse effects / Q000295:instrumentation*; D012996:Solutions; D015003:Yeasts / Q000302:isolation & purification
D000336:Aerosols; D012996:Solutions; D000420:Albuterol