Nebulizer Treatments Start With Nebulizer Familiarization

If you're giving nebulizer treatments or operating your nebulizer at home by yourself, never underestimate the danger that can come from a unit that isn't operated properly or has slowly fallen into disrepair over time, something that can happen without obvious signs until it is too late. This is a critical piece of machinery, and you wouldn't want it to be delivering the wrong dosage of medicine.

If you are using a nebulizer for the first time, it is a muct for you to familiarize yourself with the machine in general, as well as study the manual and all the literature that came with your model. Even if you have been using a nebulizer for years, it is good advice to reacquaint yourself with it every once in a while.

In general, a nebulizer is a machine that turns certain medicines especially made for the purpose into a fine mist that is inhaled by the patient. The usual medicines delivered this way are for asthma and other respiratory diseases but there are also other drugs that are made for the device.

It is often used for people who may have difficulty in taking medicine through other means such as young children and the very old.

Advancements in the nebulizer design are introduced quite often to the market but the system by which they work has stayed the same more or less: the liquid medicine (often diluted with saline solution) is placed in a reservoir in precise doses, and compressed air is used to atomize the liquid into a fine mist that is breathed in either through a mouthpiece or a mask. The patient then breathes normally except for holding each inhaled breath a few seconds longer in the mouth before exhaling for maximum absorption. This is done until the pre-measured liquid in the reservoir is gone, a process that shouldn't take much more than 10 minutes.

It is very important that the nebulizer is cleaned after every use. A dirty machine can lead to infection, spread disease, or if the tubes that deliver the misted medicine get clogged, it may not give the correct dosage. Many machines have parts that are cleaned using mild soap after every use, then a weekly regimen with a thorough wash with mild soap and a soak in a solution of distilled white vinegar and distilled water is recommended. Do check the cleaning instructions that come with your particular model as it may need a different way of cleaning.

Keep yourself familiar with the correct use, cleaning, maintenance, and storage of your machine and medicines and you can rest easy that the patient is getting the proper nebulizer treatments every time.