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Comparative efficiency of commercial and improvised spacer device in acute bronchial asthma
J Panicker1, G R Sethi, V Sehgal
1Department of Pediatrics, Maulana Azad Medical College, New Delhi 110 002, India.
Insights
An improvised spacer device is as effective as a commercial one for delivering beta-2 agonist medication to children with acute asthma. This finding offers a cost-effective alternative for asthma management.
Area of Science:
- Pediatric Pulmonology
- Respiratory Medicine
- Pharmacology
Background:
- Acute exacerbations of bronchial asthma are common in children.
- Metered-dose inhalers (MDIs) with spacer devices are standard for delivering inhaled medications.
- Commercial spacer devices can be expensive, limiting accessibility.
Purpose of the Study:
- To compare the efficacy of a commercial spacer device versus an improvised spacer device.
- To evaluate the delivery of aerosolized beta-2 agonist via MDI in acute asthma.
- To determine a cost-effective alternative for asthma treatment.
Main Methods:
- A randomized controlled trial was conducted with 60 children (1-12 years) with acute asthma.
- Participants were randomized to receive salbutamol via MDI with either a commercial or improvised spacer device.
- Treatment response was assessed at 20, 40, and 60 minutes post-inhalation.
Main Results:
- Both groups showed significant improvement in asthma parameters over time.
- No statistically significant difference in treatment response was observed between the commercial and improvised spacer groups.
- Patient demographics and clinical parameters at presentation were comparable between groups.
Conclusions:
- An improvised spacer device is an effective alternative to commercial spacers for MDI delivery in acute asthma.
- This approach offers equivalent efficacy and is more cost-effective.
- Improvised spacers can improve accessibility to essential asthma medications.
Objective:
To compare the efficacy of a commercial spacer device versus an improvised spacer device in delivering aerosolized beta-2 agonist through metered dose inhaler in an acute exacerbation of bronchial asthma.
Design:
Randomized controlled trial.
Setting:
Urban tertiary care teaching hospital.
Methods:
60 children between 1 to 12 years of age with acute asthma were prospectively enrolled and randomized into two groups. Detailed history, clinical evaluation and appropriate laboratory investigations were recorded on a pretested proforma. One group received inhaled salbutamol using metered dose inhaler via commercial spacer device (Group 1), while the other received it via improvised spacer device (Group II). The response was sequentially assessed after 20, 40 and 60 minutes of institution of therapy.
Results:
The two groups were comparable with respect to various parameters at presentation (p > 0.05). All the outcome parameters showed a significant improvement with time in both groups (p < 0.05). There was no statistical difference between the response in the two groups (p< 0.05).
Conclusion:
Metered dose inhaler with improvised spacer device is equivalent in efficacy and a more cost effective alternative to metered dose inhaler with commercial spacer for administration of beta-2 agonist in acute asthma.
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