Inhalers and nebulizers: basic principles and preliminary measurements

Abstract

Inhalers are hand-held devices which are used for administration of therapeutic aerosols via inhalation. Nebulizers are larger devices serving for home and hospital care using inhaled medication. This contribution describes the basic principles of dispersion of aerosol particles used in various types of inhalers and nebulizers, and lists the basic physical mechanisms contributing to the deposition of inhaled particles in the human airways. The second part of this article presents experimental setup, methodology and preliminary results of particle size distributions produced by several selected inhalers and nebulizers.Inhalers are hand-held devices which are used for administration of therapeutic aerosols via inhalation. Nebulizers are larger devices serving for home and hospital care using inhaled medication. This contribution describes the basic principles of dispersion of aerosol particles used in various types of inhalers and nebulizers, and lists the basic physical mechanisms contributing to the deposition of inhaled particles in the human airways. The second part of this article presents experimental setup, methodology and preliminary results of particle size distributions produced by several selected inhalers and nebulizers.