Is this wrong?

[dc1111]

Today at kaiser while I was being treated for a case of asthma, a nurse brought in the breathing machine, the one where you have to put in a liquid solution of albuterol and inhale it and she dropped the mouthpiece and washed it out then had me use it. Is that okay to do, I'm assuming it's still sterilized?

[Jenn12546]

Honestly, if the mouthpiece wound up on the floor,I would have tossed it and gotten a new one. Hospitals are notorious for germs, dropping anything on the floor and then rinsing isn't enough for the types of germs that exist there. If it was dropped on your table or bed and then rinsed, that is okay.
I am especially picky about my neb cups, I have CF and mine are changed out every day while I am there because of the germ issues, my lungs seem to attract many varieties of bacteria, they are literally petri dishes. . Otherwise, they should be changed out every 3 days and rinsed out preferably with distilled or sterile water in between treatments, not with tap water. Bacteria even live there (especially pseudomonas)
I realize each hospital has their protocols for nebs so my information may not match what other hospitals do. But one thing is a given, don't ever put anything that has fallen on the floor in your mouth, even if it was rinsed out.
Jenn

[caregiver222]

The human body can handle a great deal of contamination without danger. On the one hand, it might not have been the greatest idea since sliced bread, but there is always a "missing piece". In an ER there are either a thousand of these mask sets around or you find yourself with one mask because somebody dropped the ball replenishing things and nobody is around to go down to supply. I wouldn't be too concerned.

[Victoireh]

Tough to say, as on the one hand, hospitals are supposed to be sterile places. But on the other hand, they are home to some of the worst super bugs. I think if she really wanted to prevent cross contamination, she should have brought out another mask, as those I"m sure are sterilized after every patient use. You probably are ok., but she probably should have taken the side of caution rather then not.