:: Section 2
Advantages and Disadvantages
Why are we using the inhaler in therapy? There are several advantages, including
- Aerosol doses are smaller than those for
systemic treatment
- Medicine will not be wasted by the digestive system
- Onset of drug action is rapid
- Medicine does not need to pass though the digestive system and the
circulatory system to reach its target
- Drug delivery is targeted to the respiratory
for local pulmonary effect
- Medicine goes to the target organ directly
- Systemic side effects are fewer and less severe than with oral
parenteral therapy
- Most medicine stays in the target organ
-
The lung provides a portal to the body for inhaled aerosol agents
intended for systemic effect, e.g., pain control, insulin
- This is an alternative for therapy
Meanwhile, there are also limitations and disadvantages of a inhaler that we should be aware of
- The number of variables affecting the dose of aerosol drug delivered
to the airways
and difficulties in dose estimation and dose
reproducibility
- The true dose to target part cannot be accurately
calculated. Many factors can affect the dose estimation. For example, the
respiratory flow rate.
- Lack of physician, nurse and therapist knowledgeable of
device use and administration protocols
- Patients need professional guidance how to properly use use the device.
- Lack of standardized technical information for
practitioners on aerosol producing devices
- Standardized technical information should be made available easily
- Number of device types and variability of use are confusing to
patients and practitioners
- Many inhalers have been well developed, but all of them have their
own functions and methods to operate. The knowledge of one device does not warrant the knowledge of the other.
In the following sections, we will be exploring each type of generator.
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