Assessment of bronchodilator response to a beta-adrenergic delivered from an ultrasonic nebulizer

We assessed the bronchodilator response to a recently available ultrasonic nebulizer (USN) in a population of 17 stable asthmatic patients. These patients were also evaluated for bronchodilator response to two other aerosol delivery systems routinely used in standard clinical practice, the metered-dose inhaler (MDI) and the jet nebulizer (JN). Albuterol was administered from each of the delivery systems in the following manner: MDI, two actuations (180 micrograms); JN, 0.5 ml of 0.5 percent solution (2.5 mg) in 1.0 ml saline solution diluent; and USN, 0.5 ml of 0.5 percent solution (2.5 mg) in 2.5 ml saline solution diluent. Patients demonstrated significant bronchodilator responses to all three delivery systems (p less than 0.0001). The USN produced a greater percentage of increase in FEV1 15 minutes after treatment with albuterol (35.8 +/- 2.3 percent) than either the MDI (18.2 +/- 3.4 percent) or JN (20.8 +/- 3.1 percent) (p less than 0.005). The mean percentage of increase in FE1 observed over a 4-h period after treatment was also greater for the USN (26.5 +/- 2.5 percent) than either the MDI (18.8 +/- 1.8 percent) or JN (15.0 +/- 1.6 percent) (p less than 0.001). We conclude that the USN yields effective bronchodilation in a population of stable asthmatics.