The Clinical Use of Continuous Nebulization in Bronchopulmonary Disease

¹ Consultant in Inhalation Therapy, Children's Hospital of the East Bay, Visiting Pediatrician, Highland-Alameda County Hospital.

1. The mechanisms of respiratory tract obstruction and the serious sequelae are reviewed. The physiological basis and therapeutic rationale of continuous nebulization therapy is presented as a method to correct the factors responsible for obstruction.

2. Clinical applications of equipment for continuous nebulization applied to adult and pediatric medical and surgical chest disease are presented to illustrate the practical value of this therapy.

3. Components of solutions for nebulization therapy are discussed in relation to their function in the control of respiratory obstruction.

4. Recent developments in therapeutic combinations of positive pressure breathing and nebulization are described.

5. The techniques presented may serve to provide immediate support for pulmonary emergencies during a period of national disaster.