NEBULIZER TREATMENTS

Nebulizer Treatments For TB Patients

2009-10-08T23:02:00.000-07:00

An interesting piece of news has come to the attention of Nebulizer Treatments regarding nebulizer use by tuberculosis or TB patients.

As written in Medical News TODAY:
"A new study published in the September 15, 2009, issue of PLoS ONE found that patients with cavitary pulmonary tuberculosis receiving anti-TB medications supplemented with nebulized interferon-gamma have fewer bacilli in the lungs and less inflammation, thereby reducing the transmissibility of tuberculosis in the early phase of treatment."

This is certainly great news and a major stride for TB treatment. TB treatment is relatively the "new kid on the block," with a cure first developed about 50 years ago. Nowadays, the state of medical technology in the area is such that over 90% of sufferers are curable given appropriate treatment. Close monitoring of the patient is key to the treatment, with drug dosages depending on the condition of the patient and the disease.

Score one more for nebulizer treatments and health!

Portable Nebulizers: Treatments On The Move

2009-10-01T13:05:00.001-07:00

An interesting development about nebulizer treatments that you do yourself (as opposed to going to a clinic or hospital to get them) is that manufacturers have increasingly opened up the possibility of traveling with a manageable, self-contained unit without much trouble.

This opens up an entire world of possibilities for the patient who must regularly undergo treatments, but who is otherwise mobile and able to travel. Some of these units fit right in a carry bag that one can easily sling on a shoulder or even carry by hand like a small handbag. Airports are also quite familiar with these types of medical equipment and should not give you any trouble if you travel with one.

When you do decide to purchase one, first and foremost, as with any nebulizer, you should get one from a brand you know and trust and which has a good reputation. OMRON is one such brand that is respected in the field. Other brands to check out are Proneb, Pulmo-Aide, Pari, Micromist, CompAir, and there are many others. As usual, read the nebulizer reviews before making your choice. Most portable nebulizers can operate on batteries, but make sure to pick one which runs on easily available battery types, and being able to also run on AC power is a definite plus, as it will help you conserve batteries when you get to a hotel or anywhere with available electric outlets.

Check the cup capacity, as you don't want to go through more than one refill cycle just to be able to administer the correct dosage - this saves on work and saves on wear and tear on the unit.

Speaking of wear and tear, it is good advice to get a portable unit for nebulizer treatments on the road, but not as a primary unit. As is common with all things portable, it will not be as heavy-duty as a normal home-use unit, just as your home-unit will not be as heavy-duty as the unit they use in the clinic or hospital.

Regular nebulizer treatments should give you better quality of life, and good portable nebulizers will only enhance it even more.

Home Nebulizer Treatments: Starting Out

2009-09-27T17:47:00.000-07:00

Doing nebulizer treatments at home is the practical way to go for patients undergoing long-term or maintenance therapy.

First thing you need to know if you're considering to go this route is that as of this writing, a unit for use in the home usually costs in the range of US$200. You will also need to have a doctor's prescription to purchase one. The purchase can be covered by your health insurance policy, although some insurers may require you to get a certain affiliated brand, so your choices can be narrower if you take advantage of insurance, although virtually all brands have home-use models that range in price according to their included features. Basically, as long as a model does what it's supposed to do as a nebulizer, and you exercise due diligence in administering treatments and maintaining your machine, you should do fine with any of the known brands. In any case, realize that you are buying a machine on which a life may depend, so do your research and read up on nebulizer reviews on the net.

Nebulizer reviews will often have real-world experience from fellow home users and this will give you an idea of how the long-term experience with any particular machine will be. Pay attention not only to the question of whether it works or not (all nebulizers of known brands undergo testing at the factory - they have to do this or run the risk of something going wrong and the massive lawsuit that can possibly come with it), but to things like durability, ease of cleaning or service, ease of operation, and if it is comfortable for the patient to use.

Watch for more tips for nebulizer treatment beginners on later posts.

Nebulizer Treatments Start With Nebulizer Familiarization

2009-09-19T14:04:00.000-07:00

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.

Welcome to NEBULIZER TREATMENTS!

2009-09-03T11:11:00.000-07:00

To many laymen who undergo or administer nebulizer treatments at home, the nebulizer is simple a machine that administers medicine in the form of an inhalable mist, and that's the extent of their knowledge of the procedure or the apparatus they depend on.

This website is an attempt to arm the nebulizer patient and user with some more useful information. Just how exactly does a nebulizer work? What are the best brands? Are there dangers to using them? Are there side-effects to the medicines? Am I using my nebulizer correctly?

Information that leads to the answers to these questions are not so easy to find, and even the internet offers relatively sparse attention. It is our hope that Nebulizer Treatments becomes a hub of useful information and a repository of the cumulative knowledge gained by both patients and professionals who use these machines.

Again, welcome to Nebulizer Treatments, have a fruitful stay, and stay in the best of health.