Today, inhalation therapy is widely used in the treatment of various respiratory diseases. And if a couple of decades ago it was necessary to visit specialized rooms at a medical institution, now everything is much simpler. It is enough to purchase a nebulizer and carry out treatment in the comfort of your own home.
A bit of history
The origins of inhalation therapy go back to the distant past, or rather, during the existence of the ancient civilizations of India, China, Egypt and the Middle East. Even then, the inhalation of vapors of eucalyptus, menthol and other medicinal plants was used to treat various respiratory ailments. This was confirmed by the works of Galen and Hippocrates, which mention the inhalation of aromatic plant smoke. As for nebulizers, the first of them was created by Sales-Guirons in France in 1859. The principle of operation of the device was to use pressure to spray liquidmedication.
Later, in 1874, this type of inhaler received its official name, derived from the Latin word “nebula” (cloud, mist). Outwardly, the device did not even remotely resemble a modern nebulizer, a review of which we can read today on any website with a medical theme, but the identity of the product - an aerosol from a liquid medicine is indisputable. More than a century and a half passed until compact and powerful inhalation devices appeared in our home medicine cabinets. During this long period, the designers had to work hard to make the process of treating even a common cold simple and comfortable.
Scope of application
The main purpose of inhalation devices of this type is emergency therapy in case of exacerbation of a disease such as bronchial asthma. During an asthma attack, characteristic of this disease, to relieve bronchospasm, the patient needs to receive a larger dose of medication than with everyday therapy. Only a nebulizer is capable of quickly delivering the drug directly to the alveoli, while the feedback from patients indicates that an improvement in the condition is observed after 2-3 minutes. As with asthma, the use of the device is also effective in COPD, when long-term use of expectorant and bronchodilator drugs is necessary. Taking such medicines in tablet form or in suspension can adversely affect the condition of other organs of the patient, such as the liver and stomach. It is worth noting that the nebulizer, the review of pediatricians confirms this, is simply indispensable fortreatment of many respiratory diseases, including planned therapy of bronchial asthma in children. For many mothers whose babies often get ARVI, this device has become an essential attribute of a home first aid kit. To date, it is the only way to deliver medication directly to the focus of the disease.
Using a nebulizer at elevated temperatures
Everyone knows that respiratory diseases are often accompanied by fever. Such a reaction of the body indicates the struggle of the immune system with foreign microorganisms - the causative agents of the disease, in which we must help with the help of medications. Therefore, in many patients, when prescribing inhalation therapy, the question arises as to whether it is possible to use a nebulizer at a temperature. However, doctors, trying not to harm the patient's he alth and their own reputation, often respond negatively and cancel this procedure even with inpatient treatment. And they are quite understandable, because the characteristics of the patient's body can provoke the manifestation of the most unpredictable reactions. As for the opinion of instrument manufacturers, they are more loyal in this matter. General recommendations in most operating instructions inform about the prohibition of the procedure for patients with a body temperature above 37.5 o. And, it would seem, all this is correct, but you can not argue with practice and experience. There are critical situations when an inhalation nebulizer becomes the only salvation not only for the patient's he alth, but also for his life.
So, for example, during an asthma attack with bronchial asthma, the patient is inhaled with the medicine "Berodual", even if his body temperature differs significantly from the norm. There are many such examples, but they should not be taken as a categorical contradiction to medical recommendations. It is imperative to listen to the opinion of specialists, especially when it comes to the treatment of children and seriously ill patients. These categories of people cannot independently assess the state of their own he alth, guided by feelings, and, therefore, are not able to decide whether the nebulizer can be used at a temperature in each case.
Medicines for inhalation
The list of drugs used in inhalation therapy is quite large. It is systematically updated with new drugs, so it is more expedient to consider this entire list of drugs by pharmacogroups. So, to thin the sputum deposited on the mucous membranes of the respiratory tract, and improve expectoration, mucoregulators and mucolytics are used. This group includes such drugs for the nebulizer as Lazolvan, Ambrohexal, Fluimucil and others. As bronchodilators that relieve spasm of the bronchi and contribute to their expansion, the drugs "Ventolin", "Berodual", "Salamol" and "Berotek" are often used. Another pharmacogroup of drugs that is often used in inhalation therapy are glucocorticoids. These hormonal preparations, such as the drug "Pulmocort", have a good decongestant and anti-inflammatory effect.action. In addition, due to the method of delivering the active substance directly to the focus of the disease, an antibiotic can also be used as a medicine for a nebulizer. The final position in the list of drugs for inhalation therapy is occupied by saline and alkaline solutions, such as Borjomi mineral water and saline. Each of these components can be both the main remedy for treatment and a solvent for other medicines.
How to prepare a solution for inhalation?
Of course, the attending physician should prescribe drugs and give detailed advice on the rules for their use. But if such an informative conversation, for some reason, did not take place, the initiative should be taken into one's own hands.
Firstly, be sure to remember that many drugs for nebulizers are produced by manufacturers in the form of special ready-to-use solutions. If the prescribed medicine is not available in the required form, you should consult with the pharmacist about the possibility of using concentrated medicines for inhalation. As a rule, in this case, it is necessary to purchase a saline solution along with the medicine, which will subsequently be used as a solvent. For this purpose, you should not pour distilled water into the nebulizer, the opinion of many who made such a mistake indicates the possibility of bronchospasm.
Secondly, you must clearly follow the instructions for using the medicineand in no case exceed the indicated dosage. Therefore, before starting inhalation, 2-4 ml of solvent should be poured into the nebulizer chamber and only then the required amount of the main medication should be added. The total volume of the solution for one session should be from 2 to 5 ml, however, here too, the individual characteristics of the patient should be taken into account. For example, if a child needs treatment, and the parents are not sure that the baby will be able to inhale for a long time, the minimum dose of the solvent should be taken - 2 ml. This will allow the baby to receive the required amount of medication without creating additional discomfort.
Thirdly, regardless of the form in which the medicines for the nebulizer were bought, in a ready-made solution or concentrated drops, they must be stored in the refrigerator. After the pharmacy package has been opened, the drugs should be used within 14 days. They should be warmed to room temperature each time before use.
What medicines should not be used?
Among people who often self-medicate, there is an opinion that it is impossible to harm inhalation of aromatic oils for any illness. But this is far from true. The manufacturer's instructions clearly state that if a nebulizer is used, the use of oils and preparations based on them as a medicine for inhalation is strictly prohibited. To convert such substances into an aerosol, only steam devices can be used, producing coarse particles that will settle on the mucous membranes of the respiratory tract. If you ignorethis warning and make such an inhalation using a nebulizer, the reaction of the body may be unpredictable. Small particles of such an aerosol can penetrate the lungs and clog passages. The consequence of such carelessness can be oil pneumonia, requiring long and expensive treatment. You should not lose sight of the possibility of allergic reactions after such a procedure, to an excess of the drug on the membranes of the bronchi and in the lungs.
Effectiveness of inhalation therapy for ORS and colds
The most common mistake of many patients who use a nebulizer for coughing is the wrong preparations, due to self-medication or erroneous diagnosis of the disease. As a rule, the “culprit” of treatment failure is, of course, the inhaler, and the disease spreads further in the body and leads to serious complications. To avoid such a situation, before starting treatment, you should consult a doctor and establish the correct diagnosis of a respiratory disease. If necessary, the patient will need to take a general blood test, according to which the specialist will be able to accurately diagnose the etiology of the disease and prescribe the correct drug treatment.
So, for example, in case of a bacterial infection, an antibiotic may be recommended, which is extremely useless for viruses that are sensitive only to antiviral drugs. For the same reason, a nebulizer with a cold can also be ineffective. Of course, the usevasoconstrictor drugs for a short period of time can improve the condition, but you should not count on a long-term effect without proper treatment of the cause of the disease. Therefore, it is recommended to start treatment for acute respiratory viral infections or acute respiratory infections only after a medical consultation and examination of the patient, this is the only way to quickly treat.
Basic operating rules
In order for the treatment to be effective, it is not enough just to buy an inhaler and medicines. It is important to know how to properly carry out this procedure and what security measures must be observed in order not to worsen the patient's condition. Of course, each type of inhaler has its own individual characteristics, so before using it, you should read the instructions for use from the manufacturer. However, there are a lot of general recommendations that should be followed, regardless of the type of device.
Firstly, during inhalation, you need to sit down as comfortably as possible so as not to be distracted by discomfort. The back should be kept straight, this will allow you to draw a large amount of therapeutic aerosol into your lungs, and, of course, do not hold your breath by talking.
Secondly, you need to use only those drugs that were prescribed by the doctor. Before filling the chamber, check the expiration date on all medicines, otherwise the treatment with a nebulizer will not only be ineffective, but may also harm the patient's he alth.
Third, do not experiment and use any liquid as a solvent, preferenceshould be given to physiological saline. In addition, the inhalation device must be refilled with sterile dispensers (disposable syringes and needles) no more than 5 minutes before using the nebulizer.
Fourthly, it is recommended to set the working gas flow in the range from 6 to 10 liters per minute, at a higher speed, the inhalation session time should be reduced. In compressor inhalers, this parameter is already set.
Fifth, during the procedure, special attention should be focused on breathing, slowly and deeply inhaling the aerosol through the mouth. The therapeutic effect of the procedure will be better if you try to hold your breath for a couple of seconds before each exhalation. If a nebulizer for children is used, then it is advisable to use a mask that should fit snugly on the face of the crumbs, this will greatly facilitate inhalation. This is especially true for the smallest peanuts.
Nebulizer reliability and storage conditions
Each class of nebulizers has its own service life, and in order for the device to work efficiently for the specified period of time, storage conditions should be strictly observed. Therefore, after each inhalation, the removable components of the device must be washed with clean water and dried. Such hygiene rules will prevent crystallization of drugs and bacterial contamination on the internal surfaces of the nebulizer. In addition, if several people in the family do inhalation, then additional cleaning and disinfection should be carried out after each use. It is advisable to store the device indisassembled, to improve the safety of components. Attention should be paid to the fact that even the best nebulizers require timely replacement of air filters. And if this is not done within the time frame stipulated by the instructions, the functionality and durability of the device is significantly reduced. Therefore, it is extremely important not to neglect the above recommendations, because they can extend the period of use of the device.
Which nebulizer to choose?
It is not entirely correct to talk about which nebulizer is good and which is not very good, since each model has its own advantages and disadvantages. Therefore, when choosing an inhaler for your own household, you should pay attention to the main technical characteristics, which we will try to understand in more detail. So, the first criterion that needs to be considered is, of course, the type of device. It can be an ultrasonic, compressor and electronic mesh (mesh) nebulizer. Each of them has a different degree of quality of drug delivery to the respiratory tract.
When purchasing the first, one should take into account the fact that under the action of ultrasonic waves, many preparations are destroyed. Therefore, if a nebulizer is selected for systematic home use, it is better to give preference to compressor and mesh inhalers. The second selection criterion is such an indicator as the residual volume of the drug solution. Before using a nebulizer, everyone strictly measures the dose of the drug, but not all devices are able to convert the liquid into an aerosol in full. Usually in cellsultrasonic and compressor nebulizers, part of the medicine remains even after inhalation. The new mesh devices do not have such problems, which is why they are called the most effective inhalers of our time. It would seem that such a nebulizer is the best and you should not consider other options, however, it also has a significant drawback - high cost.
An alternative is a compressor inhaler, which is significantly cheaper, and is only slightly inferior in terms of efficiency and quality of liquid medicine conversion. But even in this case, the choice of a device for inhalation should be approached with special responsibility, paying attention to the type of nebulizer chamber. In devices with a convection (direct-flow) capacity, 65-70% of the useful medicinal aerosol is simply lost in the atmosphere, never reaching its destination. If the nebulizer is equipped with a breath-activated chamber, the loss of medication is only 10%.
Which inhaler manufacturer should you trust?
Nebulizers have been used in modern medicine for a long time, so many manufacturers have already earned the respect of consumers. One of such companies engaged in the production of medical equipment, including inhalers, is Omron. In addition to reliability, proven over the years, the devices of this manufacturer are characterized by additional characteristics of increased comfort. For example, the Omron nebulizer has a low noise level, which allows inhalation even for newborns. In addition, practicallyall models of this brand are very compact, so it is convenient to store them at home. As for the range of drugs that can be used using the Omron nebulizer, it is quite wide, which is another indisputable advantage of the device.
Another manufacturer whose inhalation devices deserve attention is Microlife. The products of this brand are used by the most famous clinics in Europe, and have recently been available to our consumers. However, already in a short period of time, the advantages that the Microlife nebulizer has have managed to gain respect and receive grateful reviews. Compact, easy-to-use and effective inhalers of this manufacturer are already in high demand today. However, in addition to quality and additional characteristics of increased comfort, these two manufacturers of medical equipment have one more advantage in common - an affordable price. Many families have already realized that by purchasing this device, they significantly save their household budget. After all, it is often possible to stop many diseases in the early stages. At the same time, the need to purchase expensive medicines simply disappears.
