Table 4. Association between nebulizers’ hygienization and positivity of culture.
| Characteristics | Contamination by fungus or bacteria at least in one part of the nebulizer | p-value | |
|---|---|---|---|
| Yes N (%) | No N (%) | ||
| Nebulizer parts usually hygienizeda | |||
| Interface | 40 (70.2) | 17 (29.8) | 0.380 |
| Cup | 51 (71.8) | 20 (28.2) | 0.378 |
| Hose | 24 (66.7) | 12 (33.3) | 0.262 |
| Filter | 5 (55.6) | 4 (44.4) | 0.221 |
| Other | 1 (100.0) | 0 (--) | 0.536 |
| Length of each hygienization | |||
| Less than 15 minutes | 31 (72.1) | 12 (27.9) | 0.951 |
| More than 15 minutes | 20 (71.4) | 8 (28.6) | |
| Hygienization after each use | |||
| Yes | 23 (45.1) | 28 (54.9) | 0.710 |
| No | 8 (40.0) | 12 (60.0) | |
| Cleaning | |||
| Yes | 44 (72.1) | 17 (27.9) | 0.839 |
| No | 9 (75.0) | 3 (25.0) | |
| Cleaning method | |||
| Only tap water | 13 (92.9) | 1 (7.1) | 0.049 |
| Lather and rinse under tap water | 31 (66.0) | 16 (34.0) | |
| Disinfection | |||
| Yes | 40 (66.7) | 20 (33.3) | 0.015 |
| No | 13 (100.0) | 0 (--) | |
| Disinfection method | |||
| Immersion in boiling water and/or alcohol and/or microwave only or in association with sodium hypochlorite and/or vinegar solution | 30 (69.8) | 13 (30.2) | 0.595 |
| Immersion in bleach and/or vinegar solution, without other methods | 10 (62.5) | 6 (37.5) | |
| Dry | |||
| Yes | 50 (71.4) | 20 (28.6) | 0.277 |
| No | 3 (100.0) | 0 (--) | |
| Drying method | |||
| With a cloth, paper towel, fan/dryer or compressor/compressed air | 23 (60.5) | 15 (39.5) | 0.028 |
| Only outdoors | 27 (84.4) | 5 (15.6) | |
| Hygienization method | |||
| No hygienization | 2 (100.0) | 0 (--) | 0.197 |
| Clean, disinfection and dry | 33 (66.0) | 17 (34.0) | |
| Only clean | 1 (100.0) | 0 (--) | |
| Clean and dry | 10 (100.0) | 0 (--) | |
| Disinfection and dry | 7 (70.0) | 3 (30.0) | |
a
Since the answers were not mutually exclusive, each option was analyzed as a dichotomous variable generating different p-values.