Abstract
Background: The SARS-CoV-2 pandemic has highlighted the need to improve safety for frontline workers and avoid environmental contamination with aerosols. To aid in this, a breath actuated nebulizer (BAN) is available with a filter set to capture any exhaled aerosol.
Objective: To determine the aerosol amounts emitted to the environment during nebulizer therapy with BAN nebulizers and to test the efficiency of the nebulizer filter system.
Methods: The AEROECLIPSE® II BAN was operated at 50PSIG on its own without its optional filter kit (n=5). Devices with the filter kit were also repeatedly tested, 2 hrs apart, up to five times. Each device was evaluated with 2.5mg/3.0mL fill of salbutamol and connected to a simulator mimicking adult tidal breathing. In addition to inspiratory and expiratory filters, the nebulizer was placed under an extraction system to capture any aerosol emitted through leakages or exhalation. Salbutamol assay was undertaken by HPLC-UV spectrophotometry.
Results: The mass of salbutamol captured from the extraction system with the BAN alone was found to be 2.6±0.4% of the initial dose. When the filter kit was added, zero fugitive emissions were recovered. Even after four subsequent treatments no salbutamol was recovered.
Conclusion: The BAN alone had environmental losses of less than 3%, which in itself is at least five times less than reported for continuous nebulizers and is consistent with previous data for this device. The filter kit eliminated all losses, and even if the filter was not replaced each treatment (label use), the efficiency appeared to be maintained for at least five uses.
Footnotes
Cite this article as: European Respiratory Journal 2021; 58: Suppl. 65, PA3401.
This abstract was presented at the 2021 ERS International Congress, in session “Prediction of exacerbations in patients with COPD”.
This is an ERS International Congress abstract. No full-text version is available. Further material to accompany this abstract may be available at www.ers-education.org (ERS member access only).
- Copyright ©the authors 2021