HUMIDITY & AEROSOL
THERAPY
THERAPY
Liquid particles suspended in a gas that are visual to the naked eye
What is an aerosol
Devices used to deliver bland aerosol therapy
What is an aerosol mask, tracheostomy collar/mask, face tent, aerosol tent, and oxygen hood
A pressurized canister that contains a drug in a volatile propellant
What is a pressurized metered-dose inhaler (pMDI)
This aerosol device requires that the patient generate inspiratory flows in excess of 60 L/minute
What is a dry powder inhaler
This common short-acting beta agonist (SABA) is used as a rescue therapy as it can produce relief of acute airway obstruction in as little as 15 minutes
What is Albuterol (Proventil, Ventolin)
This device contains a valve that opens and sounds if pressures reach greater than 2 pound per square inch (psi)
What is a bubble humidifier
Indications for bland (non-medicated) aerosol therapy
What is upper airway edema, bypassed upper airway, and sputum induction
An obstruction in an aerosol's flow pathway that breaks the aerosol into smaller particles
What is a baffle
This type of aerosol generator utilizes the Bernoulli principle in which a high pressure gas is sent through a restricted orifice which draws the liquid up and drives the particles against a surface
What is a jet nebulizer ("regular" SVN)
Medications aerosolized with the purpose of reducing the viscosity of secretions
What are mucoactive/mucokinetic agents (mucolytics, proteolytics)
This involves adding water vapor to inspired gas.
What is humidity therapy
Solutions used with bland aerosol therapy
What are sterile water and saline (isotonic, hypertonic, and hypotonic)
Primary hazard of aerosol drug therapy
What is an adverse reaction to the medication
This aerosol generator synchronizes aerosol generation with inspiration, thus reducing wasted medication
What is a breath-actuated nebulizer (BAN)
This short-acting Beta agonist (SABA) that binds with the alpha, B1, & B2 receptors is administered to relieve upper airway edema
What is racemic epinephrine
The actual content or weight of water present in a given volume of gas
What is absolute humidity
With an LVN, an increase in downstream resistance will cause this to happen
What is increased FiO2 (due to the resistance causing less air to be entrained)
The medication that remains in the SVN and cannot be nebulized
This type of aerosol generator, used to deliver the drug Ribavirin, incorporates a drying chamber that reduces the MMAD to 1.2 microns
What is a small particle aerosol generator (SPAG)
This anticholinergic drug is commonly administered as maintenance treatment in COPD
What is Ipratropium bromide (Atrovent)
This device provides heat and humidity during patient transport, anesthesia, and short-term mechanical ventilation (<72 hrs)
What is an HME (heat and moisture exchanger)
This specific type of set-up is used to provide high FiO2s at high flow
What is a tandem LVN set-up
5 things that affect particle deposition
What are particle size, gravity, kinetic activity, inertial forces, & ventilatory pattern
Factors that can affect the performance of nebulizers
What are nebulizer design, gas pressure/flow, gas density, medication characteristics
This class of drug, aerosolized to manage inflammation in the airway, can cause oropharyngeal fungal infections, dysphonia, and cough
What are corticosteroids