title: A 500-ml plastic bottle: an effective spacer for children with asthma.
abstract: Inhaled therapy using a metered-dose inhaler (MDI) with attached spacer has been increasingly recognized as the optimal method for delivering asthma medication for acute attacks and chronic prophylaxis. However, in developing countries the cost and availability of commercially produced spacers limit the use of MDI-spacer delivery systems. A 500-ml plastic bottle has been recently adapted to function as a spacer. This article reviews the current data on the efficacy of this bottle-spacer and discusses its advantages and limitations. It is concluded that a modified 500-ml plastic bottle is an effective spacer; modification and use of this device should be incorporated into international guidelines for the management of children with asthma.
authors.affiliation: Department of Paediatrics and Child Health, Red Cross Children's Hospital, University of Cape Town, Cape Town, South Africa. heather@rmh.uct.ac.za
authors.forename: Heather J
authors.initials: HJ
authors.lastname: Zar
authors.forename: Michael J
authors.initials: MJ
authors.lastname: Asmus
authors.forename: Eugene G
authors.initials: EG
authors.lastname: Weinberg
mesh_terms: D018927:Anti-Asthmatic Agents / Q000008:administration & dosage*; D001249:Asthma / Q000188:drug therapy*; D002648:Child; D003365:Costs and Cost Analysis; D004867:Equipment Design; D006801:Humans; D036501:Metered Dose Inhalers / Q000191:economics; D009330:Nebulizers and Vaporizers / Q000191:economics
chemical_list: D018927:Anti-Asthmatic Agents