A cost comparison of Pall filters versus chemical or thermal disinfection of ventilator tubes

: Filter manufacturers claim that the use of disposable filters for anesthesia and ventilation therapy would be more economical than changing the tubes and/or ventilation circuits every 24 h or 48 h. We therefore compared the costs of chemical disinfection or thermal disinfection of 4 different ventilation tube systems with those of disposable Pall filters. The cost of disinfecting tubes used for ventilation or anesthesia varies 1.81 DM to 12.60 DM and is therefore lower than that of the use of disposable filters changed daily. Tubes used for anesthesia should be changed after each patient and tubes for ventilation therapy can be changed every other day, but disposable filters must be changed daily or after each case when used for anesthesia.