Inhalers or inhalers transport the active ingredients of various drugs into the respiratory tract by means of atomization or vaporization. In modern times, inhalers are mostly compressed air or ultrasonic inhalers. Therapeutic benefits of the invention of the inhaler are for respiratory diseases such as asthma.
What is an inhaler?
With the help of an inhaler, powdered active ingredients are transported to the lower and upper airways. With the help of an inhaler, powdered active ingredients are transported into the lower and upper airways. The finer the nebulization of the powder, the deeper the active ingredients penetrate. Extremely finely nebulized powder thus also reaches the bronchi with the aid of an inhaler. The precursor of all inhalers was the idea of inhaling essential oils dissolved in hot water and inhaled as steam. Even today, this type of treatment can still be used, for example, for colds. At the beginning of the 19th century there were first inhalers made of porcelain. In the course of the same century, the anesthetic for anesthesia before operations was administered via an ether inhaler. Shortly thereafter, plastic, glass and metal were also discovered for the inhaler. Today, inhalers primarily serve a purpose within the therapy of various respiratory diseases. Two systems have become prevalent for the devices: the ultrasonic system and the compressed air system. Depending on the type of respiratory disease, therapeutic inhalation can be applied in many cases on an outpatient basis thanks to modern inhalers. This handling was unthinkable for a long time, and with medical and technical progress, it only became accepted in the 20th century.
Forms, types, and styles
Electric jet nebulizers with steam are the best known inhalers. In these electric devices, a compressor generates compressed air. Compressed air is emitted from a nozzle, which presses the active ingredient into nebulous form. Through a mask or the mouthpiece of the device, the inhaler inhales the active ingredient in mist droplets of about three micrometers. The vapor thus reaches the deep airways and penetrates to the smallest ramifications. Under no circumstances should this form of inhaler be used with substances such as essential oils. These substances could gum up the nozzle of the device, rendering the inhaler useless. Ultrasonic inhalers work completely differently from nozzle nebulizers. In these systems, water is made to vibrate. The oscillating movements release tiny particles from the inhalate, which the inhaler picks up through the mask or mouthpiece. As a rule, ultrasonic inhalers are powered by a rechargeable battery. Compared to compressed air inhalers, they are quieter and are also capable of an even finer nebulization of the active ingredients. For some time, there have also been oscillating membrane inhalers, which also work via vibrations.
Structure and mode of operation
Jet nebulizers using compressed air work via a forced air stream that atomizes a drug solution. A similar effect can be observed when blowing through a straw into a glass of water. The rising drops draw liquid upwards with them. This is precisely the principle of the jet air nebulizer, although the system described takes place in these devices at a microscopic level. Ultrasonic inhalers, on the other hand, contain a tiny transducer to deliver ultrasonic units. Unlike steam inhalers, the water is not vaporized but literally nebulized. These nebulizers are more effective than other inhalers because they can also transport salts and smaller active ingredients that remain in the device in steam inhalers. Electrical vibrations are converted to mechanical ones in ultrasonic inhalers, which can transfer to the water to form tiny droplets of liquid. A more recent invention is inhalers using vibrating membrane technology. A porous and vibrating membrane allows tiny particles of liquid drug to pass through with each vibration, which are inhaled through the mouthpiece. The short treatment duration of this type of inhalation makes oscillating membrane inhalers particularly popular with children. For asthmatics, the inhaler is now also available as a pump system for the pocket. The mechanical pumping action is used to nebulize the emergency medication.
Medical and health benefits
Inhalers are used to treat acute and chronic respiratory diseases. Especially in the context of COPD, asthma and bronchitis, but also in diseases such as cystic fibrosis, they perform therapeutically important functions. For asthmatics, there are now the above-mentioned pocket inhalers, also known as asthma sprays, which initiate nebulization via a pump mechanism. This invention can even save lives in the event of an acute asthma attack, as it provides immediately applicable immediate and self-help. Accordingly, the health benefits of inhalers are high. Which type of inhaler is best suited for the therapy of a disease is decided by the physician in each individual case. Steam nebulizers, for example, are often recommended to patients with sinusitis. Ultrasonic inhalers, on the other hand, reach the depths of the bronchial tubes and can thus also help patients with acute bronchitis. Since many systems of inhalers can now be used on an outpatient basis, prescribing the devices gives patients with respiratory disease a degree of control and security over their own therapy. The outpatient and self-responsible use and the certainty of the inhaler in his own pocket can have a calming effect on the patient. He can thus actively contribute to his therapy himself, so that he feels less at the mercy of others and can take action himself in emergency situations. Thus, the inhaler today has an important function on the psychological level in addition to the purely physical level.
