Postoperative administration of aerosolized medications: Part I--The basics

Based on the content of this article, the reader should be able to (1) describe the advantages and disadvantages of instituting drug delivery using the inhalation route; (2) verbalize factors that impact on aerosol deposition within the lung; (3) list the various types of aerosol-generating devices; (4) describe the benefits of incorporating a spacer device with the metered dose inhaler; and (5) identify and be familiar with the major categories of aerosolizable agents.