Interchanging Reusable and Disposable Nebulizers Used with Home-Based Compressors May Result in Inconsistent Dosing: A Laboratory Investigation with Device Combinations Supplied to the US Healthcare Environment

Reusable nebulizer–compressor combinations deliver inhaled medications for patients with chronic lung diseases. On hospital discharge, the patient may take home the disposable nebulizer that was packaged and combine it with their home compressor. Though this practice may reduce waste, it can increase variability in medication delivery. Our study compared several reusable and disposable nebulizers packaged with compressor kits used in the US. We included a common disposable hospital nebulizer that may not be supplied with popular home kits but may be brought home after a hospitalization or emergency department visit. We focused on fine droplet mass < 4.7 μm aerodynamic diameter (FDM_{<4.7 μm}), associated with medication delivery to the airways of the lungs.

We evaluated the following nebulizer–compressor combinations (n = 5 replicates): We placed a 3-ml albuterol solution (0.833 mg/ml) in each nebulizer. A bacterial/viral filter was attached to the nebulizer mouthpiece to capture emitted medication, with the filter exit coupled to a simulator of a tidal breathing adult (rate = 10 cycles/min; V_t = 600 ml; I/E ratio = 1:2). The filter was replaced at 1-min intervals until onset of sputter. Droplet size distributions (n = 5 replicates/system) were determined in parallel by laser diffractometry.

Cumulative FDM_{<4.7 μm} varied from 381 ± 33 μg for the best performing combination (Proneb/LC-Sprint) to 150 ± 21 μg for the system with the lowest output (VIOS®/MistyMax 10™).

Substituting one nebulizer for another can result in large differences in medication delivery to the lungs.