The best nebulizer device for children must provide a reliable and effective solution for keeping respiratory illnesses like asthma under control anywhere and anytime treatment is needed. Children diagnosed with asthma or other respiratory problems, who have a tendency to display strong emotions such as crying, yelling or even laughing could start coughing or wheezing that will result in laboured breathing.
Such a condition requires immediate and effective treatment to prevent its progression into a full-blown episode of an asthma attack. That is why it’s important for parents to use the right medication and respiratory device to keep the attacks under control.
Proper drug administration is also important, which is why pediatricians usually prescribe the use of a child-appropriate nebulizer in administering the asthma medication.
Mesh Nebulizer as the Most Appropriate Respiratory Device for Children with Asthmatic Condition
First off, parents should understand that nebulizers make the administration of asthma medications more effective as the device converts liquid medicine into aerosol that easily and immediately reaches the lungs and airways. While there are other types of nebulizers that can effectively perform the function of converting liquid medicine into mists or aerosol form, the mesh nebulizer is deemed as the child-appropriate device for such purpose.
Unlike jet nebulizers that use compressed gas to convert the medicine into medicated mists, the mesh nebulizer uses a vibrating mesh that uses a relatively silent micropump technology to efficiently push the liquid medicine to reach and pass through a perforated plate or mesh. The medicine passing through the vibrating plate or mesh will be converted into aerosol droplets containing all the ingredients that were extruded and converted through the upward and downward motions of the vibrating plate or mesh.
Although the ultrasonic nebulizer also converts liquid medicine into aerosol by way of high frequency vibrations, the aerosol produced tends to have particles that are much larger than those produced by jet nebulizers.
In contrast, the mesh technology has an adjacent chamber that limits the flow of the medicated nebulized aerosol that an asthma sufferer inhales. The feature therefore reduces the risks of administering an overdose of the asthma medicine once a child breathes in the medicated aerosol droplets by way of a mask or mouthpiece.
It’s also important to take note that it is more advisable for children below 5 years old to use a mask, as it allows breathing in through both the nose and mouth. Younger children find it difficult to clench the mouthpiece with their teeth, since the only way that the medicated aerosol is delivered is through the mouth.
Understanding What Exactly is an Asthma Attack
An asthma attack is an episode when the normal asthma symptoms of coughing, wheezing and laboured breathing get worse as a result of bronchospasm. It’s a condition in which the muscles around a person’s airways get tighter because the lining produces thicker than normal mucus, which causes inflammation and swelling of the air passages.
Episodes of asthma attacks vary in severity and duration, as it’s more common for children with mental health issues to frequently experience mild asthma attacks that last for a few minutes. Yet even if parents manage to keep their children’s asthma under control, unexpected triggers of asthma attacks such exposure to cold air, strenuous physical activities, smoke and even anxiety can unexpectedly trigger an asthma attack.