Emergency endotracheal drug administration using aerosol.
Drug administration via the endotracheal route has previously involved direct installation in bolus form. However this necessitates an interruption in ventilation and, for the administration of therapeutic agents to the lungs, may result in failure of delivery to the appropriate sites. Aerosols have advantages over other routes of administration since the drug is delivered directly to its required site of action. Treatment with nebulised beta-2 agonists is the initial treatment of choice in acute severe asthma and a small number of such patients require immediate intubation and ventilation. We describe a technique for aerosol delivery using a nebuliser which can be used in intubated patients during manual intermittent positive pressure ventilation using a bag-valve resuscitator.
D000328:Adult; D000336:Aerosols; D000420:Albuterol / Q000008:administration & dosage*; D001249:Asthma / Q000188:drug therapy*; D004630:Emergencies; D005260:Female; D006801:Humans; D007385:Intermittent Positive-Pressure Ventilation / Q000295:instrumentation; D007442:Intubation, Intratracheal; D009330:Nebulizers and Vaporizers
D000336:Aerosols; D000420:Albuterol