[Pilot Project: Improved Lung Deposition via a New Nasal Inhalation Procedure]

Inhaled drugs can only be effective if they reach the middle and small airways. This study introduces a system that combines a trans-nasal application of aerosols with noninvasive pressure support ventilation.

In a pilot study, 7 COPD patients with GOLD stages II and III inhaled a radiolabeled marker dissolved in water via a trans-nasal route. The mean aerosol particle size was 5.5 µm. Each patient took part in two inhalation sessions that included two application methods and were at least 70 hours apart. During the first session ("passive method"), the patient inhaled the aerosol through an open tube system. The second session ("active method") included pressure support ventilation during the inhalation process. A gamma camera and planar scintigraphy was used to determine the distribution of aerosol particles in the patient's body and lung.

The pressure supported inhalation ("active method") results in an increased aerosol lung deposition compared to the passive method. Above all, we could demonstrate deposition in the lung periphery with relatively large aerosol particles (5.5 µm).

The results prove that the combination of trans-nasal inhalation with noninvasive pressure support ventilation leads to significantly increased particle deposition in the lung.