Characterization of a human powered nebulizer compressor for resource poor settings

Abstract

BackgroundRespiratory disease accounts for three of the ten leading causes of death worldwide. Many of these diseases can be treated and diagnosed using a nebulizer. Nebulizers can also be used to safely and efficiently deliver vaccines. Unfortunately, commercially available nebulizers are not designed for use in regions of the world where lung disease is most prevalent: they are electricity-dependent, cost-prohibitive, and not built to be reliable in harsh operating conditions or under frequent use.To overcome these limitations, the Human Powered Nebulizer compressor (HPN) was developed. The HPN does not require electricity; instead airflow is generated manually through a hand-crank or bicycle-style pedal system. A health care worker or other trained individual operates the device while the patient receives treatment.This study demonstrates functional specifications of the HPN in comparison with a standard commercially available electric jet nebulizer compressor, the DeVilbiss Pulmo-Aide 5650D (Pulmo-Aide).MethodsPressure and flow characteristics were measured with a rotameter and pressure transducer, respectively. Volume nebulized by each compressor was determined by mass, and particle size distribution was determined via laser diffraction. The Hudson RCI Micro Mist nebulizer mouthpiece was used with both compressors.ResultsThe pressure and flow generated by the HPN and Pulmo-Aide were: 15.17 psi and 10.5 L/min; and 14.65 psi and 11.2 L/min, respectively. The volume of liquid delivered by each was equivalent, 1.097 ± 0.107 mL (mean ± s.e.m., n = 13) for the HPN and 1.092 ± 0.116 mL for the Pulmo-Aide. The average particle size was also equivalent, 5.38 ± 0.040 micrometers (mean ± s.e.m., n = 7) and 5.40 ± 0.025 micrometers, respectively.ConclusionsBased on these characteristics, the HPN’s performance is equivalent to a popular commercially available electric nebulizer compressor. The findings presented in this paper, combined with the results of two published clinical studies, suggest that the HPN could serve as an important diagnostic and therapeutic tool in the fight against global respiratory health challenges including: tuberculosis, chronic obstructive pulmonary disease, asthma, and lower respiratory infections.

Performance Comparison among KN95-Certified Face Masks by Classical Techniques and Innovative Test

“…As reported in our previous work [31], the experimental setup of the new method developed for the evaluation of droplets and aerosol inhaled fraction can be described as follows: the emitter was simulated using a Hudson Micromist (Teleflex, Morrisville, NC, USA) small volume jet nebulizer operating at 7 L/m as driving flow. The nebulizer generates a distribution of nebulized drops with a median size of 5 µm and an asymmetric distribution [32], thus covering the range of both airborne and droplet transmission models. To identify the degree of filtering efficacy, an aqueous solution (deionized water by system ARIOSO Water Purification System, Human Corporation, Seoul, Korea) of 3.44 g/L of methylene blue (Merck, Darmstadt, Germany, 95%) was employed to be nebulized.…”

An In Situ Study of Precursor Decomposition via Refractive Index Sensing in p-Type Transparent Copper Chromium Oxide

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“…In a conventional spray pyrolysis system, MAD-0331-B1B Ultrasonic Atomisers were employed; they tend to produce a broad range of droplet sizes ranging from ≈10–30 μm . The average droplet sizes produced by mist chemical vapour deposition (CVD) are found to be around 5.4 μm . The main difference is a reduction in the active cooling from the nebulizing gas, as much lower gas flow rates are required.…”

Bioenergy Principles and Applications

“…Human-powered nebulizers to treat respiratory diseases (Hallberg et al, 2014) require only the manual energy of a health worker or caregiver to generate an airflow while the patient is being treated; they are virtually fail proof. A biomechanical energy harvester allows a recharge of prosthetics or medical devices, with a little extra effort (5W) when walking.…”