Dry powder inhalers types of inhalers used most commonly for older children and adolescents with asthma. There are many advantages of using a dry powder inhaler. Dry powder inhalers are compact and easy to carry. Dry powder inhalers do not require synchronisation between actuation and breath and hence they are easy to use.
There are many types of dry powder inhalers available in the market. The technique of taking a dry powder inhaler can be different for different types of device. It is extremely important to learn the correct technique of taking a dry powder inhaler to achieve a maximum benefit. In this article we briefly describe the correct technique of taking a dry powder inhaler. The technique is almost similar for single dose dry powder inhalers such as rotahaler, lupihaler and revolizer. The technique can be different for multidose dry powder inhalers, such as a turbuhaler and diskhaler.
What are the correct steps of using a dry powder inhaler?
Step 1: Loading the capsule in the device:
The medicine for a single dose dry powder inhaler is packaged as a capsule. You need to follow the instruction to load the medication capsule into the device. After the capsule has been loaded into the device, it needs to be opened by rotation (As in a rotahaler) or punctured (As in lupihaler and revolizer) so as to release the medicine.
Step 2: Inhaling the medicine
The child needs to stand or sit up straight and breathe out completely. Breathing out completely is a very important step before you start inhaling your dry powder inhaler. The child then needs to put the mouthpiece of the dry powder inhaler into his mouth and close the lips tightly around the mouthpiece. The children then need to breathe in quickly and forcefully. As this is done the medicine which is in the form of a powder, would disintegrate into smaller particles and reach the small airways or bronchi. Thereafter, the child needs to hold the breath for a period of around 5 to 10 seconds and then breathe out slowly.
Device that needs to be opened to check whether all the medicine has been inhaled. In case a small amount of medicine is still remaining inside the capsule or the device, the steps mentioned need to be repeated to take the remaining medicine. Once this is done, the capsule needs to be removed and discarded. If the child needs to take another dose as per the treatment prescription the same steps need to be repeated again. Once done remember to gargle with water and spit to remove the medicine deposited in the mouth.
In case your child is having symptoms of asthma, get in touch with a child chest specialist or allergy specialist to formulate the best plan of management for your child’s asthma. You can discuss in detail with your doctor regarding the best device to be used for your child. The choice of the device depends on multiple factors, such as the age of the child, the severity of the disease and the medicine which needs to be used.
