How to Make a High-Volume Nebulizer

Children and elderly patients who must use albuterols or other bronchodilators sometimes have trouble using standard metered-dose inhalers. The strong aerosol stream can be overpowering and trigger the gag reflex, or they may not be able to inhale the administered dose in time with an atomizer, resulting in wasted medication that ends up in their mouths and not in their respiratory system. Using a nebulizer can alleviate these problems as the cup-like device is placed over the nose and mouth to trap the aerosol medication for easier inhalation. But common nebulizers and spacers can be very expensive, so making a similar apparatus at home out of two simple household everyday items can be a literal lifesaver.

Things You'll Need

• Clean bottle of water, 12 oz. size
• Duct tape
• Utility knife

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Instructions

• 1

  Cut out the bottom of the bottle of water. You can use a utility knife to make the entire cut, or you can use the knife to start the cut and finish it with a pair of sharp scissors.

• 2

  Slice the mouth of the bottle away so there is a smooth, flat curve at the top with a hole in it.

• 3

  Line the sharp edges along the cutout at the bottom of the bottle with duct tape. This is where your nose and mouth will be placed so the duct tape will protect from any cuts and scrapes.

• 4

  Cover the upper hole of the bottle with duct tape, leaving a slit or opening in which to insert the tip of your inhaler or hose from a compressed-air machine, if that is how you meter aerosol inhalants.