Aerosol: A fine spray or mist. Medications in aerosol form can be administered via a nebulizer and inhaled.

Aerosol therapy is a technique of administering medication directly into the airway and lungs. An aerosol is a suspension of liquid and/or solid particles, usually administered by a medical device like an inhaler, nebulizer

Medication used for inhalers

Bronchodilators

Corticosteroids

Aerosolized Medications

Ribavirin and pentamidine – adverse reproductive effects. 2,3

Amikacin – respiratory irritation and kidney toxicity. ... 

Colistin – asthma and labored breathing

Tobramycin – asthma-like symptoms.

Bronchodilators

Bronchodilators relieve asthma symptoms by relaxing the muscle bands that tighten around the airways. This action rapidly opens the airways, letting more air come in and out of the lungs. As a result, breathing improves. Bronchodilators also help clear mucus from the lungs.

Indications

■ Asthma

■ COPD

■ Bronchiectasis

■ Cystic Fibrosis

■ Pulmonary infection

■ Bronchospasm

Contraindications

Allergic Reaction some pharmacogical agents

■ Hypersentivity

BENIFITS

■ Direct delivery of Treatment site

■ Fast onset of action than oral medication

■ Lower requirement of dosage than systemic administration

■ Reduced systemic adverse effects Modes of Aerosal delivery

■ Metered dose inhalers

■ Dry powder inhalers

■ Nebulizers

Metered_dose inhalers

 A metered-dose inhaler is a small, hand-held device filled with medicine. It helps deliver a certain amount of medicine through your mouth 

Dry powder inhaler

A dry-powder inhaler (DPI) is a device that delivers medication to the lungs in the form of a dry powder. DPIs are commonly used to treat respiratory diseases such as asthma, bronchitis, emphysema and COPD although DPIs (such as Inhalable insulin) have also been used in the treatment of diabetes mellitus.

Nebulizer

A nebulizer is a small machine that turns liquid medicine into a mist. You sit with the machine and breathe in through a connected mouthpiece. Medicine goes into your lungs as you take slow, deep breaths for 10 to 15 minutes. It is easy and pleasant to breathe the medicine into your lungs this way

Types

The 2 types of nebulizers are pneumatic jet nebulizers and ultrasonic nebulizers. 

Jet nebulizer

pneumatic jet nebulizer delivers compressed gas through a jet, causing an area of negative pressure and drawing the liquid up the tube by the Bernoulli effect

Ultrasonic Nebulizer

An Ultrasonic nebulizer is a device that uses ultrasonic waves to provide medication to patients in the form of a mist, which is inhaled into lungs. It is commonly used for patients with respiratory diseases, and it creates the mist by vibrating a metal plate at ultrasonic frequencies.

How aerosal and nebulizer work in lungs

Aerosol medications can be delivered directly to the bloodstream through the lungs without the complications of and IV such as pain and injection site infection. This technique is used mostly for dosing medication for lung conditions like asthma, but it may be beneficial for other therapies as well

A nebulizer treatment may help reduce inflammation in the lungs and/or open airways, especially in the case of respiratory illnesses like asthma. People with other respiratory diseases like COPD who have lung-related complications from a cold or flu may also benefit.

Advantage

The main advantage of nebulized drugs is that they are deposited directly into the respiratory tract and thus higher drug concentrations can be achieved in the bronchial tree and pulmonary bed with fewer adverse effects than when the systemic route is used.

How to take Assessment for aerosalTherapy and nebulizer