An Overview Of Asthma Inhalers - HFA And CFC

The period 2006 to 2008 is phase-out time for the traditional chlorofluorocarbon (CFC) propelled version of the ubiquitous albuterol asthma inhaler used by asthmatic patients. The same period is also phase-in time for the new hydrofluoroalkane (HFA) propelled asthma inhaler that is to be the replacement for it.

The changeover has been made necessary on the direction of the US Food and Drug Administration (FDA). From the beginning of the year 2009 manufacture and use of all CFC-based inhalers will be disallowed. Only HFA-based inhalers can be manufactured and used therefrom.

Environmental concerns have caused the change. CFCs cause ozone depletion in the atmosphere. A no-break ozone layer is absolutely necessary in the Earth's atmosphere to filter out ultra-violet rays of the Sun from reaching the surface of this planet. Ultraviolet rays are dangerous for all life forms residing on the surface of the Earth.

An asthma inhaler is a handheld device used by asthma patients to inhale the medication that may prevent/relieve an asthmatic attack. The use of an inhaler is most convenient as an asthma patient just needs to puff on the mouth of the inhaler. This enables the delivery of the medication contained in its medication chamber directly to the bronchial airways. On reaching the airways, the medication works to relieve an asthma patient's breathing difficulty that is the main characteristic issue in asthma.

Contrast this with the same medication taken orally or intravenously. First of all, the patient needs to keep the oral medication with him/her. Then it needs to be taken with water. It takes more time to reach the bronchial airways. For intravenous administration of the same medicine, someone, who is an expert at giving intravenous injections, needs to be present. All in all, the inhaler-based method is the quickest and most convenient means of medication delivery to the bronchial airways.

Although the inhaler-based method has the above advantages, it has side effects too. You see, when you inhale albuterol through an inhaler, part of the medication may be absorbed by the walls of the mouth and this is how a part of the albuterol will reach various organs of the body through the blood stream, where it can cause side effects. These side effects include an increased heart rate and a slightly upset stomach.

To limit the contact of albuterol with the walls of the mouth, some asthma inhalers contain an inhaler spacer. The spacer is a tube that holds the medication temporarily (after the inhaler is depressed) and helps deliver the albuterol directly to the bronchial airways.

Basically, there are two main types of asthma inhalers. They include the metered dose inhaler (MDI) and the dry powder inhaler (DPI). Another classification of inhalers divides them into preventer inhalers and reliever inhalers. A nebuliser is a special kind of inhaler device.

An asthma inhaler may deliver different medications. These include asthma-relieving bronchodilators such as albuterol, anti-inflammatories, and corticosteroids. A corticosteroid is an asthma attack preventive drug.

Privacy Policy Contact Us