Bronchoscopy, tracheostomy patients and other special applications

Nebulization therapy has an established role in the treatment of patients with asthma, chronic pulmonary obstructive disease, cystic fibrosis and other pulmonary diseases. This article reviews the role played by nebulization in two specific situations: in tracheostomy patients and during the performance of bronchoscopies. For each of these situations, the existing indications, drugs and recommended doses were reviewed, as well as the differences between the inhaled dose and the dose deposited in the lungs. The objective was to list the different types of nebulizers used and the differences among them, then, to define the advantages and disadvantages of this inhalation technique. However, owing to the lack of papers published to date, these objectives could not be fulfilled completely. The main problem found when performing this review was the small number of existing articles, and therefore, the main conclusion drawn is that more research is needed to try to resolve the various issues raised by this inhalation technique.