A nebulizer is device powered by electrical current or batteries that creates a fine mist of medicine particles that can be inhaled into the lungs’ breathing passages. Nebulizers are fitted with either a mouthpiece or a face mask.
Babies and very young children are candidates for the latter. Many different medications used in asthma treatment are manufactured in a liquid form suitable for nebulization. The two major types of nebulizers are jet nebulizers and ultrasonic nebulizers. Most pulmonologists prefer jet nebulizers for their patients as they produce more uniformly sized medicine particles for inhalation. If you or your child has been prescribed Pulmicort Respules, which is an inhaled steroid preparation, it must be administered by a jet nebulizer. The Respules should not be given by ultrasonic nebulization.
The machine that transforms the liquid medication into a fine mist is the nebulizer, and the part of the apparatus that permits the mist to be inhaled is the air compressor. All nebulizer units consist of a nebulizer proper as well as a small cup to hold the liquid form of medication.
Special tubing connects the nebulizer proper to the air compressor that sends air though the medication cup and transforms the liquid medicine into a fine mist suit-able for inhalation. Several studies have revealed that the different nebulizers available on the market have different medication-delivery profiles. Although all nebulizers work in a similar way, you should familiarize yourself fully with the nebulizer that your physician prescribes for you or your child. Read any directions for use and maintenance carefully. Many nebulizer manufacturers maintain Web sites for their products and can be a good source of information for patients.
To use your nebulizer you will need to assemble the nebulizer and air compressor, inhale the nebulized medication (treatment), which should last about 15–20 minutes, clean and prepare the nebulizer for the next use, and every other day, perform a more thorough cleaning.
Here are some general guidelines on how to use your nebulizer, using a mouthpiece. Babies and young children will need to use a special mask rather than a mouthpiece. Understand that your individual machine may require slightly different handling. First, always collect all the equipment and medicine you will require, including the nebulizer, tubing, medicine, and the compressor.
Wash your hands. Use a clean nebulizer and fill the medication cup with one dose of your medicine as directed by your physician. Connect the air tubing between the nebulizer and the compressor, along with a finger valve if your setup requires one. Attach a mouthpiece or mask to the nebulizer. Turn the compressor on and check that the nebulizer is producing a medication mist. Now you are ready to place your lips around the mouthpiece. You should stabilize the mouthpiece between your teeth. Remember to hold the nebulizer upright to avoid spills, and to increase its effectiveness. Breathe gently and calmly.
Try to breathe in deeply for 3–5 seconds before holding your breath for up to 10 seconds, and then exhale normally. If your nebulizer has a finger valve, you should cover the hole in the finger valve while you inhale, and uncover the valve when you exhale. Repeat, drawing deep breaths, followed by breath holds until the nebulizer begins to make sputtering sounds. The sputtering sound signals that your treatment is finished.
When all the medication solution has been nebulized, take the nebulizer setup apart. Wash all the parts—except for the tubing and the finger valve—in liquid dish soap and water. Rinse in tap water, and shake off any excess water droplets. Reconnect the different parts and run the compressor to dry the nebulizer. Wait until the nebulizer is completely dry before storing it. If you use a nebulizer daily, you should also perform a more in-depth cleaning every 48 hours or so. To do so, wash your hands first.
Then, put aside the tubing and valve. Prepare a fresh solution of distilled white vinegar and hot water. The proportions are 1 part white vinegar to 3 parts hot water (one quarter white vinegar to three quarters hot water). Soak all parts of the nebulizer (except the tubing and mask) in the vinegar and hot water solution for 60 minutes. After an hour, remove the nebulizer parts and rinse them under running water. Throw away the soaking solution.
After rinsing in fresh water, shake off any excess water droplets. Reconnect the different parts of the setup, and run the compressor to dry the nebulizer. Wait until the nebulizer is completely dry before storing it. Make it a point to find out whether the compressor unit you are using requires additional specific maintenance or cleaning. Some people use the term breathing machine interchange-ably with the term nebulizer. Strictly speaking, the nebulizer is the device at the end of the tubing from the compressor, and not the entire setup. That said, most people, including doctors, refer to the entire machine— the compressor, tubing, medication cup, and mouthpiece (or face mask)—collectively as “the nebulizer.”
Kerrin’s comment:
My son was first given his nebulizer when he was about 8 months old. He quickly got used to it and will now ask for a treatment if he’s feeling uncomfortable. We have learned that it is a good idea to bring the nebulizer with us (and plenty of albuterol) if we are going to a place where a trigger might be present, such as a friend ’s house or an outdoor event. We also know it is important to remember to pack it when going on vacation, along with enough medication to last if my son gets a respiratory illness that could potentially trigger symptoms.