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Methods of Dry Inhalation

Most often used as a drug delivery method for respiratory ailments, dry inhalation therapy can be used to deliver a variety of medications. Dry inhalation therapies are administered with the use of dry powder inhalers (DPI), with alternative aerosol delivery systems such as metered dose inhalers (MDI) also available. Medications currently available for use as an inhalant include antibiotics, pulmonary vasodilators, steroids and bronchodilators. Other drugs which can be delivered using dry inhalation include opiate pain relievers and insulin.

  1. Pre-Metered Dry Powder Inhaler

    • There are two primary designs for dry powder inhalers, including the pre-metered dry powder inhaler and the device-metered dry powder inhaler. Pre-metered dry powder inhalers involve the pre-measurement and division of medication doses into units such as cavities, capsules or blisters. These units are placed in the inhaler by the patient or manufacturer. The dose of medication is then inhaled by the patient as needed.

    Device-Metered Dry Powder Inhaler

    • The other type of dry powder inhaler is the device-metered delivery system. Device-metered dry powder inhalers have an internal chamber which houses several doses of the medication. Unlike the pre-metered system, the inhaler itself knows how much of a dose to deliver with each trigger of the device.

    Problems with Dry Inhalation Devices

    • Unlike aerosol inhalers, which are widely used in the United States, dry inhalation delivery methods have yet to gain ground due to a variety of challenges. Design, as well as distribution of particle size and reproducing doses is a key issues developers continue to tackle. The design of dry inhalation can have direct effects on the effectiveness of the drug being delivered. When the design is faulty without a clear passage for the drug to travel to the patient, the drug is dispersed from the chamber but not delivered properly to the patient.

    Alternative to Dry Inhalation Devices

    • The aerosol alternative to dry inhalation systems, metered-dose inhalers (MDIs) were the predecessor to dry powder inhalers. Developed in the 1950s, metered dose inhalers disperse medications in a suspended or dissolved mixture which is released by a pressurized aerosol trigger. Metered dose inhalers are capable of releasing hundreds of doses of individual and combinations of medications. Despite the history of effectiveness for metered dose inhalers, some current designs undermine the medication's efficacy.

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