Woman dies from tap water netipot use

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Specializes in ER.
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Specializes in school nurse.

"Rare brain-eating amoebas."

It's horrific that a person died, but this phrase sounds like the next generation of "Sharknado" movies.

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Specializes in Pediatrics Retired.
"Rare brain-eating amoebas."

It's horrific that a person died, but this phrase sounds like the next generation of "Sharknado" movies.

A mutation to air borne brain eating amoebas. Like Zombies that can run.

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Specializes in school nurse.
A mutation to air borne brain eating amoebas. Like Zombies that can run.

We truly are in the End Times...

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Specializes in ICU/community health/school nursing.
A mutation to air borne brain eating amoebas. Like Zombies that can run.

As a side note, one of our summer camp docs hated neti pots and those Neil Med thingies with a passion. Apparently the nasal mucosa bypasses the blood-brain barrier...

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Oddly enough I did a project about this very phenomenon in nursing school. It has happened a handful of times all over the world. Apparently the warning on the side of the box isn't followed very frequently.

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As a side note, one of our summer camp docs hated neti pots and those Neil Med thingies with a passion. Apparently the nasal mucosa bypasses the blood-brain barrier...

Not exactly:

Drug delivery in overcoming the blood–brain barrier: role of nasal mucosal grafting

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Specializes in M/S, LTC, home care, corrections and psych.

The headline for this story should be "Woman dies from not following the directions" but I guess that doesn't sound sensational enough. :(

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But doctors need to be a lot more mindful about telling their patients to use one. You can't just say "try a neti pot." You have to also follow it - and use with sterile or distilled water. And she/he might even mention the risks associated with tap water. And how do you wash it out? Detergent? Tap water? Distilled? Unsure. I've used mine now only a handful of times a year, and always use distilled. But I warm it on the stove, after cleaning the pot I'm warming the water in a LOT (with distilled water). It becomes a chore. So I've opted for the saline spray from CVS. A bit less environmentally friendly, maybe, because of the plastic, but less labor intensive.

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Specializes in ED, Cardiac-step down, tele, med surg.

You're supposed to use sterile water. It's on the instructions. People have no common sense.

I've also gone swimming in lakes (probably had amoebas too) and got water in my sinuses. Glad those were the regular kind I gues.

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You're supposed to use sterile water. It's on the instructions. People have no common sense.

I've also gone swimming in lakes (probably had amoebas too) and got water in my sinuses. Glad those were the regular kind I gues.

Distilled or sterile. Does not have to be exclusively sterile.

If you choose to make your own saltwater solution, it's important to use bottled water that has been distilled or sterilized. Tap water is acceptable if it's been passed through a filter with a pore size of 1 micron or smaller or if it's been boiled for several minutes and then left to cool until it's lukewarm.

--Mayo - but honestly I would never use tap water again. I stopped after first reading about the case in Louisiana a few years ago.

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Specializes in OB.

*reads wide-eyed, then shrugs and fills Neil Med with warm tap water/salt packet for daily rinse as usual*

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