Abstract
Spacers, when used with pressurized metered dose inhalers (pMDIs), enhance aerosol drug delivery and address coordination challenges during inhalation. This study aimed to compare the efficacy of emergency spacers with traditional spacers in delivering salbutamol aerosol from pMDIs. The total emitted dose (TED) and particle size distribution of salbutamol were determined using an Andersen MKII cascade impactor. The study evaluated pMDI alone and with various spacers, including traditional antistatic spacers (Able, Tips-Haler, Aerochamber Plus Flow Vu, Atomizer Chamber) and emergency spacers (Plastic juice cup, MDI PLUS, Lite-Air spacer, DispozABLE spacer, and Paper sheet spacer) at a flow rate of 28.3 L/min with inhalation volumes of 2 L and 4 L, representing children (> 6 years) and adults, respectively. The pMDI alone delivered the highest TED, significantly exceeding all pMDI-spacer combinations at both inhalation volumes ( P P Graphical Abstract