Abstract
Objective: We hypothesized that the transporting efficiency of aerosol nebulization could increase ventilation by reducing the impact of the trigger flow during mechanical ventilation. This study was aimed at evaluating the volume of the transporting aerosol by trigger flow and proposing a new position of the ultrasonic nebulizer in the circuit. Methods: In a conventional circuit configuration, the nebulizer was located at the edge of the Y-piece, and in the proposed circuit configuration, the nebulizer is located between the Y-piece and the endotracheal tube. In both configurations, the filters were set at the other edge of the Y-piece and the other side of the endotracheal tube. Ten percent saline (10 ml) in the nebulizer unit with filter cap was nebulized for 30 minutes. The weight of the filters before and 30 minutes after nebulizing were measured, and the delivered and lost percentages were calculated. Results: The delivered aerosol percentage in the proposed method was significantly higher compared to conventional method. Simultaneously, the lost aerosol percentage in the conventional method was significantly higher. Conclusion: The proposed method showed the superiority of our new position of the nebulizer to the conventional.
