What is aerosol? Is it good to use a nebulizer?

A nebulizer is a medical device with the function of supporting the treatment of respiratory-related diseases. But do you really understand what aerosol is and its effects on health? Follow lassho.edu.vn to follow the following article to learn more!

What is aerosol?

Aerosolization is a method of using a nebulizer to diffuse drugs into tiny mist particles. These mist particles will directly affect the mucosal system of the upper and lower respiratory tract, supporting the treatment of diseases related to the respiratory tract (acute and chronic).

When nebulizing, the drug is delivered to the fur coat on the mucous membrane of the respiratory tract, then acts directly on the infected areas, helping to improve signs of flu, laryngitis, nasopharyngitis or inflammation. sinuses are very effective.

Is it good to use a nebulizer?

Using aerosol at the right time, with the right dose of medicine and with the right frequency of inhalation will help users significantly improve their health conditions, which can include:

• Support for disease treatment: When nebulizing, the drug is delivered to the bronchi and alveoli, helping patients effectively treat respiratory-related diseases such as asthma, bronchitis, respiratory disorders, .. .
• Avoiding side effects: Using a nebulizer to deliver drugs to the mucous membranes of the respiratory tract helps patients limit side effects when taking drugs or injecting drugs directly into people such as anaphylaxis, cardiac compression, convulsions, .. .
• Prevention of respiratory diseases: If you inhale your nose and throat with salt water daily, you can prevent respiratory diseases effectively.

Why should you not abuse aerosols?

May cause respiratory depression

Because in the composition of the aerosol there will be corticosteroids and aminoglycosides, these two substances, if used too much, without quantitative adjustment, will over time cause counterproductive effects and damage the lungs .

The body is easily dependent

Adult abuse of the appliance will lead to your body being dependent on the drug and adversely affecting your sense of smell .

When suffering from asthma, doctors and experts also discourage using a nebulizer at home . Because when nebulizing a lot, the patient will not know when the symptoms of the disease worsen, when detected, it is extremely dangerous .

Can cause cochlear toxicity, leading to deafness

When using a nebulizer, it is necessary to change the wire set, but sometimes you neglect this and only use one set of wires to use too many times, this will negatively affect the health of the patient.

In addition, overuse of nebulizers with liquid drugs and solutions for nebulization with aminoglycoside groups prescribed by doctors should not be used for children who cannot speak because it can cause poisoning of the ear canal, leading to deafness.

Causes bronchospasm reflex

The abuse of aerosol not only makes it difficult for you to control the disease, but when the disease worsens, it is easy to have complications that cause reflex bronchospasm, or cause bronchial infections due to not cleaning the machine carefully.

Standard procedure for using a nebulizer

Step 1: Install for the nebulizer

To properly use the nebulizer, you first need to find a flat and stable surface on which to place the nebulizer. Proceed to assemble the parts together and connect to the power source according to the manufacturer’s instructions and then start using.

Step 2: Take the medicine and put it in the medicine cup

Clean your hands and then use a clean tube to take the medicine into the medicine cup. Then, take a dose of the drug (according to the dose prescribed by the doctor).

Step 3: Connect the mask or breathing tube to the medicine cup

Cover the medicine cup and you proceed to attach the mask or mouthpiece to the top of the cup. The bottom of the cup and the air duct are attached to the air compressor.

Step 4: Breathe slowly and deeply through your mouth

After correctly attaching the above steps, turn on the nebulizer to check if mist is sprayed.

• For the patient: Keeping the body straight helps the lungs to be dilated for good treatment results. In case the patient uses a mask, you must adjust the belt and wearing position to fit the face.
• For children old enough: Encourage the child to sit up straight and breathe normally. Young children are held in an upright sitting position and then asked the patient to breathe deeply and slowly through the mouth so that the medicine can be deposited in the respiratory tract.

Use a nebulizer for a maximum of 5 to 15 minutes .

Some notes when using a nebulizer

Read the name of the drug carefully, use the right dose

What to do before using the device when using the device is to always read the name of the drug carefully , only use the drug according to the correct dose and perform aerosolization as prescribed by the doctor, avoiding self-use will be very dangerous.

Choose the right time for nebulization

Choose the right time to breathe aerosols to avoid the time right before or right after a meal that will make it difficult to breathe when breathing, and when there are many activities in the family.

Create a quiet environment

The implementation of the nebulizer usually takes 10-20 minutes . During this time, it is necessary to create a quiet environment for the patient to focus on taking deep breaths to allow the medicine to enter the lungs.

Beware of side effects

Using a nebulizer can cause some local side effects including cough, hoarseness, irritation of the oropharyngeal mucosa, fungal infection of the oropharynx, or irritation of the facial skin if a mask is used.

At that time, most of these side effects can be avoided by rinsing the mouth and washing the face with soap after spraying the aerosol.

How to clean and maintain the nebulizer

How to keep the nebulizer clean?

– After use: You should remove the mask (or mouthpiece) and medicine cup from the plastic tube. Rinse the mask (or mouthpiece), medicine cup, syringe (or dropper) under running water and place on a clean towel to dry.

After that, you should put the parts back into the duct, run the machine for about 10-20 seconds to dry the inside;

– Do not put the machine in water and do not wash the plastic hose .

– Every week should wash the mask (or mouthpiece), medicine cup, dropper with warm water with soap, then rinse with clean water and dry the outside and inside thoroughly.

How to maintain the nebulizer?

The nebulizer should be stored in a dry, cool and dust-free place to ensure it is clean, safe and free from harmful bacteria growth.

In addition, you need to replace the new plastic pipe when it is blurred or stagnant, as well as replace the new filter every 6 months according to the manufacturer’s instructions.

See also: How to properly and safely clean and disinfect a nebulizer

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