2024| Updated Answers
What is a bland aerosol? ***** Non-medicated aerosols such as sterile water
Advantages of the inhalation route ***** Smaller required doses.
Quick drug response.
Fewer, less severe side effects.
Painless and convenient.
Disadvantages of the inhalation route ***** Difficult to deliver consistent precise dose.
Requires patient compliance and education.
Equipment and maintenance.
What is an aerosol? ***** Suspension of solid or liquid particles within a gas.
What is aerosol therapy? ***** Delivers either solid or liquid aerosol particles into the
respiratory tract for therapeutic purposes.
What are three main goals of aerosol therapy? ***** Humidify inspired gas.
Improve the mobilization and elimination of secretions.
Deliver medications to the respiratory tract.
What is a medicated aerosol? ***** A suspension of a solid or liquid drug in a carrier
gas.
What are the four factors that influence drug delivery within the lungs? ***** Stability.
Penetration.
Deposition.
Inertial impact.
What is stability? ***** Tendency of an aerosol to remain in suspension.
What is penetration? ***** How far into the lungs the aerosol particles travel.
What is deposition? ***** The aerosol particles falling out of suspension.
What is inertial impact? ***** A function of particle size and velocity. Inertial impaction
increases with larger size and higher velocities.
, What is a micron? ***** 1 millionth of a meter.
What size of particles would be used for a nasal spray? ***** 10 to 15 microns.
What size of particles would be used to penetrate the large bronchi? ***** 5 to 10
microns.
What size particles would be used to penetrate the lower airways? ***** 1 to 5 microns.
Why don't medications contains particle sizes under 1 micron? ***** Because they are
so stable they never fall out of suspension for absorption and are exhaled.
Factors that determine particle size in aerosols ***** Design of nebulizer.
Flow and density of gas.
Dead volume of the nebulizer.
The volume of diluent used.
What is dead volume of the nebulizer? ***** The volume of solution that cannot be
nebulized.
Does adding a diluent increase of decrease the amount of drug received when using a
nebulizer? ***** Increases the amount because the dead volume contains less
medication.
How many mL of fill volume is needed to run a nebulizer? ***** 3 mL
What percentage of medication gets into the lungs under optimal conditions? ***** 10%
to 50%
What percentage of medication gets into the lungs if poor technique is used? ***** 1% to
2%
What breathing pattern is best used for effective aerosol delivery into the lungs? *****
Slow, deep breathing with a hold.
What is the most common type of aerosol treatment? ***** MDI.
What is a MDI? ***** A propellant inside of a canister filled with medication
What is a SVN? ***** Aerosolizes medication continuously via a flow of compressed air
or oxygen.
What is a DPI? ***** An inhaler that delivers the drug in a powder form to the lungs; has
no propellant or external power source.