Recommendations for hygiene of masks and circuits in mechanically home ventilated patients

Home mechanical ventilation requires equipment, consisting of a generator of pressure, a tubing and an interface to deliver air to the patient. Instructions for equipment maintenance are generally not based on scientific evidence. Studies however have reported that tubing and masks used at home are the most commonly found as very dirty and contaminated. Dirtiness and contamination of equipment potentially expose patients to a higher risk of airway colonization, which, in turn, should cause respiratory infections. For this reason, published hygiene instructions include the use of disinfectant s...