Medicated Aerosol Delivery Using A Jet Nebulizer Versus A Vibrating Mesh Nebulizer in COPD Exacerbation

Delivery of inhaled short-acting bronchodilators (SABD) is standard of care in the emergency department (ED) for exacerbation of COPD, the goal of such being rapid reversal of airflow obstruction. However, current guidelines for the delivery of SABDs in spontaneously breathing patients make no distinction whether these medications should be delivered via metered dose inhaler (MDI) or jet nebulizer (JN), the specific medication delivery device having no significant effect on hospital admission or reversal of flow obstruction. However, advancements in nebulizer design, namely FDA-approved vibrating mesh technology, have demonstrated significant improvements relative to JNs and metered dose inhalers in efficiency and amount of drug delivered in in vivo and in vitro studies. Currently there are no clinical trials comparing the use of vibrating mesh nebulizers (VMN) to JNs and their effect on clinically important outcomes. This prospective randomized controlled pilot trial seeks to determine if there are differences in hospital admission due to COPD when a vibrating mesh nebulizer is used versus a jet nebulizer.