Current possibilities for nebulizer therapy
This article discusses the main aspects of the nebulizer therapy used to treat respiratory diseases. The basic principle of operation of all types of nebulizers is based on the generation of aerosol containing particles comprising an active substance. Currently, there are three types of nebulizers: jet, or compressor (which uses the energy of a gas jet), ultrasonic (which uses oscillation energy of the piezoelectric element) and membrane (Mesh nebulizers). The jet nebulizers are the most common, because they have affordable cost, are easy to use, however, using this type of nebulizers is accompanied by quite large losses of the drug (more than 50%), and they are quite noisy due to the compressor. Among the advantages of ultrasonic nebulizers are virtually silent operation, fast aerosol production and shorter inhalation times compared to compressor devices, small size and weight, and operation from the batteries. However, one of the most important disadvantages of ultrasonic nebulizers is the limited range of drugs that can be used for inhalation, which significantly limits their use in pulmonological practice. In particular, they are not suitable for inhalation of suspensions (glucocorticosteroids) due to the impossibility of homogeneous nebulization, in addition, part of the GCS molecules are destroyed by ultrasound. In recent years, the greatest prospects have been associated with the use of a new generation of nebulizers created using the so-called Vibrating Mesh Technology. Membrane nebulizers have a number of advantages compared to the compressor and ultrasonic devices. Among them are a small residual volume, noiseless operation, high mobility due to the small size, weight and ability to operate using battery.