Babies often suffer from respiratory system diseases, including chronic pathologies. Inhalation is considered to be an effective and safe method of administering medicinal substances to the children's body. Aerosol therapy provides the delivery of active components directly to the sites of inflammation and rarely provokes allergic reactions.
Types of inhalers for children
Progressive medical technologies have allowed to abandon such an inconvenient treatment option as the inhalation of hot fumes over the pan. A modern baby inhaler is comfortable to use, its use eliminates the risk of an airway burn or an overdose of the drug. Many devices work silently and look like toys, so as not to frighten the kids.
Suggested types of inhalers:
- steam (heat and moisture);
- compressor;
- ultrasound.
In some pharmacy chains, innovative electronic mesh devices or mesh-inhalers are available. They carry out high-speed spraying with the highest dispersion by the low-frequency method. These devices function even when using oil-containing solutions (viscosity up to 3 cps), antibiotics and hormonal medications.
Baby steam inhalers
This is the most inexpensive and simple type of apparatus. The principle of their action is the evaporation of a liquid containing medicinal components. The substances inhaled by the child contribute to the expansion of the vessels in the submucosal membranes and increase the blood flow, producing a local anesthetic effect. Teplyvazhnye procedures help to eliminate dryness in the pharynx and facilitate expectoration.
All types of steam inhalers have the same drawbacks:
- banned for use at high body temperature;
- work exclusively with volatile solutions (essential oils and some herbal infusions);
- they act only in diseases of the upper respiratory tract.
Children's Compressor Inhaler
The most universal type of device, capable of spraying any medicinal liquid without heating them. Such a children's inhaler functions on the basis of a compressor. The aerosol cloud is formed by feeding a powerful stream of compressed air through a small hole. It has a comfortable temperature, without irritating the mucous membranes. Children's inhaler-nebulizer compressor is also not devoid of shortcomings:
- bulkiness and heavy weight;
- noise during operation;
- frightening appearance.
- Children's inhaler "Penguin". The body of the device is made in the form of a funny bird with a red butterfly. Kids are more likely to wear a mask offered by a sweet smiling penguin.
- Children's inhaler "Steam Engine". This device is equipped with multi-colored lamps that flash during operation. A friendly locomotive with a pleasant face attracts the child during the procedure.
Children's ultrasonic inhaler
The presented type of apparatus is equipped with a special plate or membrane. Its high-frequency oscillations are transferred to the liquid, due to which the aerosol cloud is formed. The ultrasonic nebulizer for children functions absolutely silently, has compact dimensions and convenient control. To use it, you can not wear a mask, but simply place the device near the crib. The particle size in the cloud is so small that they penetrate even into the bronchioles, and the volume of produced aerosol provides an effective therapeutic effect.
Which inhaler to choose for a child?
The form of the device described should correspond to the therapeutic purposes and pathologies, from which the baby suffers. If the crumb is suffering from asthma , you should purchase a special children's inhaler, which helps to remove seizures and restore normal breathing. In other acute or chronic diseases and complications of the common cold or flu, nebulizers are recommended. In order to understand which inhaler should be better for a child, it is necessary to pay attention to its symptoms and consult a pediatrician. Each type of device is designed to spray certain drugs.
Asthma inhaler
An attack of the described disease involves emergency therapeutic measures aimed at its arrest. For this, three types of devices are used:
- Spaceer. Very simple and comfortable to use, but bulky device. It is equipped with a special valve, which automatically controls the delivery of the medicine (only for inhalation). This is the best children's inhaler, if the baby does not know how to control breathing. On exhalation the valve instantly works, and the spraying of the drug ceases immediately.
- Powder pocket inhaler - with bronchial asthma with frequent attacks is irreplaceable. It is compact and lightweight, economically consumed and is characterized by maximum therapeutic effectiveness. The only drawback is the high cost of the device.
- Aerosol (liquid) pocket inhaler. Like the previous kind of devices, it requires preliminary training of the child, so that he inhales the medicine exactly when the button is pressed. Another disadvantage is that during the spraying part of the drug solution settles on the oral mucosa, and this can cause negative side effects.
Baby inhalers for cough and cold
The selection of such devices is carried out depending on the drugs that are used in therapy.
- Compressor devices are universal, they can pour any solutions, except for products with essential oils. The structure of these medicines is too dense and viscous to create a uniform aerosol cloud. They can cause a compressor failure.
- Ultrasonic and electron-mesh children's inhaler from cough is suitable for moisturizing and softening the mucous membranes. To apply viscous liquids, oils and suspensions with such an apparatus, it can not form an aerosol cloud from them. It is not recommended to pour most of the drugs into these types of devices, because under the action of ultrasonic vibrations their active components are destroyed.
- A baby heat and moisture inhaler is designed for the use of ethers, herbal infusions and similar viscous substances. Thanks to heating to a high temperature, they evaporate freely and enter the respiratory tract. Mucolytics, antibiotics and hormone medicines are undesirable to use with the type of devices presented, heat treatment leads to loss of medicinal properties.
How to choose an inhaler for a baby?
A suitable specialist will help you to get a suitable device that meets the baby's needs. Before choosing a nebulizer for children, it is important to consult a pediatrician and familiarize yourself with the characteristics of the devices available on the market. For the purchase, you must come with a prescription to compare the list of prescribed medications and a list of products recommended for use with a matched device.
Brands of inhalers
The names of the devices for arresting asthmatic attacks are identical to the drugs that are in them:
- Symbicort;
- Levalluterol;
- Salbutamol;
- Terbutaline;
- Aminophylline and others.
It is more difficult to decide which child's inhaler is best for home use for the treatment of a runny nose or a cough . Recommended brands of nebulizers:
- Omron;
- Medisana;
- Little Doctor;
- B. Well;
- Ulaizer;
- Philips;
- Vega;
- Microlife;
- Gamma;
- Norditalia.