Choosing a Nebulizer for Asthma Treatment

by Shane McGlaun, Respiratory Therapist
www.healthylifepharmacy.com  

What type of nebulizer is best for you or your loved ones depends on your needs and the types of things you frequently do. This article will give you the facts you need to make your decision to purchase either a portable nebulizer or a standard nebulizer.

Portable Nebulizer's

An active person that is seldom indoors would likely want to seriously consider a portable nebulizer. Portable nebulizer's are a great way for people that are active and frequently not around an AC outlet to be able to take nebulizer treatments wherever they may be. Most portable nebulizer's are battery powered, however, not all nebulizer's that are considered portable are battery powered.

A good examples of a portable nebulizer's that are battery powered are the Aeroneb Go and the Omron CompAir Elite. Portable nebulizer's can be further divided into the type of portable nebulizer, ultrasonic or pneumatic and rechargeable or disposable battery powered.

Each type of portable nebulizer has its own pros and cons. For instance nebulizer users who are frequently away form AC power for extended periods pf time will want to consider a portable nebulizer powered by disposable type "AA" batteries. Typically nebulizer's powered by disposable standard "AA" batteries will be able to give you more breathing treatments per set of batteries than their rechargeable battery counterparts.

Even the best rechargeable battery nebulizer's often require recharge after 30 minutes or so of use. That could mean as little as two treatments per charge depending on the medications you use in your nebulizer. On the other hand, a nebulizer that uses standard "AA" batteries often can not only give many more treatments per set of batteries, but when they go dead you can simply replace them with another set of batteries and you are ready to go again without having to stop somewhere with an available AC adapter and recharge.

Portable nebulizer's also come in both pneumatic and ultrasonic varieties. For this article I consider any nebulizer that is not ultrasonic to be pneumatic, though some pneumatic nebulizer's may be called jet or by another term by their manufacturers.

The difference in a pneumatic and an ultrasonic nebulizer is in he method used to create the medication mist. A pneumatic nebulizer uses compressed air via some method to turn liquid medication into a breathable mist. An ultrasonic nebulizer uses ultrasonic vibrations to turn the liquid medication into a mist.

The difference between the two methods used to create the mist is in the size of the minute particle that make up the mist. With an ultrasonic nebulizer you typically get the vast majority of mist particles in he ideal 5 micron range which allows the mist to penetrate and stay in the lungs more efficiently. A pneumatic nebulizer makes less of the mist particles in the ideal 5 micron range.

Theoretically, an ultrasonic nebulizer will allow the nebulizer user to get more of the medication they breathe into their lungs. I say theoretically because to date no proven medical benefit of an ultrasonic nebulizer over a pneumatic nebulizer has been shown in most patient groups. The one group of patients that it is generally accepted that ultrasonic nebulizer's may have proven medical benefit for is in the treatment of cystic fibrosis.

The more ideally sized particles produced by ultrasonic nebulizer's are no the only reason to choose an ultrasonic nebulizer. Perhaps a more compelling and beneficial re son to choose an ultrasonic nebulizer is that often, ultrasonic nebulizer's are able to utilize more of the medication you place into them than their pneumatic counterparts. For instance the Omron MicroAir ultrasonic nebulizer uses 100% of the liquid medication that you place into it and is so efficient at using all the medication you place into its nebulizer cup, that it is rated to be able to deliver non-diluted medications.

The ability to deliver undiluted medications is a big deal for those who take many breathing treatments per day. The use of undiluted medications can greatly reduce the treatment time you require to take all of your nebulizer treatments. Rather than a 15 minute nebulizer treatment, with undiluted albuterol, you could take a full treatment in 5 minutes and get the exact same effects from the treatment.

Standard Nebulizer's

Standard nebulizer's don't have as many differences between them as portable nebulizer's do. However, their is several brands to choose from and not all nebulizer manufacturers make nebulizer's with the same efficiency. For instance, one of the most efficient and quick nebulizer's on the market is the nebulizer. The Pari ProNeb Ultra is available in an adult nebulizer version and a children's nebulizer version. Each version of the Pari Proneb Ultra is the same internally, the only difference is the color and the accessories.

The Pari ProNeb Ultra nebulizer is a system that consists of both the Pari nebulizer compressor and the Pari nebulizer kit. While the Pari ProNeb Ultra is a very high output nebulizer compressor that allows for faster treatment, the real source of the efficiency from the Pari ProNeb Ultra is the Pari nebulizer kit.

The Proneb Ultra nebulizer compressor is designed to work with the Pari LC+ nebulizer kit. The Pari LC+ nebulizer kit is made form a very strong plastic that allows it to maintain the required tolerances for efficient treatments for up to 6 months. Standard nebulizer kits must be replaced every 30 days, and if not replaced they may not be producing a mist with breathable particles in the correct size range efficient efficient treatments. Pari Pari LC+ nebulizer kit is also valved. The valves keep medication medication you into the into the nebulizer kit unless escaping unless through inhale through the nebulizer kits mouthpiece.

With a valved nebulizer kit, such as the Pari LC+, more of the liquid place into place into the nebulizer cup is turned into a mist and inhaled into allow lungs allowing the treatment taker to relief more relief from each treatment. To power such a high efficiency nebulizer kit, a high output nebulizer compressor is required. Neither the Pari ProNeb Ultra or the Pari LC+ nebulizer kit are as efficient when not used together as a nebulizer treatment kit.

Most all other nebulizer kits and nebulizer compressors are the same. Their is very little difference between most brands, and often the choice comes down to price and what your provider or pharmacy has available. If you have the choice the Pari nebulizer kit and compressor is the superior choice, other brands will work and do a good job. Just not as quickly or effetely as the Pari ProNeb Ultra nebulizer.

Irregardless of the nebulizer compressor and nebulizer kit you choose, be sure you follow the manufacturers instructions for cleaning, maintenance and replacement of nebulizer kits and compressors. Not cleaning your nebulizer kits can not only make your treatments less effective and take longer, you can actually become ill from contaminated equipment.