Nebulizers

Nebulizers use a source of compressed gas and a nebulizer device to make a fine mist from liquid medicine to breathe in. Since a nebulizer runs continuously during a treatment, a patient does not need to coordinate the timing of breathing to get the medication, nor does the patient need to be able to take a deep breath in to bring medication into the lungs. Nebulizers allow a patient to breath in significantly more medication during a treatment than MDIs or DPIs with minimal effort. A consequence of the continuous, larger dose administration of a nebulizer treatment is that there can be more side effects. In most cases, this is an acceptable "price to pay" to get relief.

Nebulizers are reserved for individuals who cannot use MDIs or DPIs, or who get inadequate relief from these devices. During an acute. severe asthma flare, patients may not be able to coordinate breathing properly to get medication into their lungs from an MDI or DPI. Other patients have such severe asthma that they need the higher doses delivered by a nebulizer to get relief. Anyone who may need a nebulizer at home to control their asthma symptoms on an intermittent or regular basis should ideally be seen by a pulmonary or asthma specialist.

Closing thoughts

Good asthma management comes from close cooperation between care provider and patient, as asthma is a condition where patient education is key. This not only allows patients to get the best control of their symptoms, but empowers them to gain better overall control of their disease. Understanding the different devices that deliver medications, and how they work, is a step towards optimal asthma control, both of symptoms and disease.