title: Aerosol Use in the Pulmonary Function Lab.
abstract: Aerosolized medications are frequently used in the pulmonary function laboratory. The 2 most common implementations are bronchodilators and bronchial challenge agents. Bronchodilator administration is not well standardized, largely because of the various methods of delivery available for clinical practice. Metered-dose inhalers used with spacer devices are the most common route for bronchodilator administration, but many laboratories use small-volume nebulizers. Interpretation of pre- and post-bronchodilator studies is confounded by the definitions of airway obstruction and bronchodilator responsiveness. Protocols for administering bronchial challenge aerosols (methacholine, mannitol, hypertonic saline) are well defined but are susceptible to some of the same problems that limit comparison of bronchodilator techniques. Bronchial challenges with inhaled aerosols are influenced not only by the delivery device but by the patient's breathing pattern, particularly in protocols that include deep inspiratory efforts.
authors.affiliation: Division of Pulmonary, Critical Care and Sleep Medicine, St. Louis University School of Medicine, St. Louis, Missouri. ruppelgl@slu.edu.
authors.forename: Gregg L
authors.initials: GL
authors.lastname: Ruppel
mesh_terms: D000280:Administration, Inhalation; D000336:Aerosols / Q000008:administration & dosage; D001985:Bronchial Provocation Tests / Q000295:instrumentation / Q000379:methods; D001993:Bronchodilator Agents / Q000008:administration & dosage; D006801:Humans; D007753:Laboratories; D009330:Nebulizers and Vaporizers; D015272:Pulmonary Medicine / Q000295:instrumentation / Q000379:methods*; D012119:Respiration; D012138:Respiratory Therapy / Q000295:instrumentation / Q000379:methods*
chemical_list: D000336:Aerosols; D001993:Bronchodilator Agents
keywords: FEV1; aerosols; bronchial challenge; bronchodilators; mannitol; methacholine