Drug-targeting methodologies with applications: A review

Table 1 Comparisons of conventional categories of nebulizers

	Jet	Ultrasonic	Vibrating mesh
Features
Power source	Compressed gas or electrical mains	Electrical mains	Batteries or electrical mains
Portability	Restricted	Restricted	Portable
Treatment time	Long	Intermediate	Short
Output rate	Low	Higher	Highest
Residual volume	0.8-2.0 mL	Variable but low	< 0.2 mL
Environmental contamination
Continuous use	High	High	High
Breath-activated	Low	Low	Low
Performance variability	High	Intermediate	Low
Formulation characteristics
Temperature	Decreases	Increases	Minimum change
Concentration	Increases	Variables	Minimum change
Suspensions	Low efficiency	Poor efficiency	Variable efficiency
Denaturation	Possible	Probable	Possible
Cleaning	Required, after single use	Required, after multiple use	Required, after single use
Cost	Very low	High	High

Table 2 Advantages and disadvantages of different nebulizer products

Product name	Type	Pros	Cons
PARI Vios®	Jet nebulizer	Low operational cost, robust in structure, effective in nebulizing suspensions	Relatively bigger in size and heavier in weight; more noisy
Omron MicroAir®	Electronic nebulizer	Does not heat the medicine, quiet and fast drug delivery	Comparatively expensive;
Omron NE-U17®, Beurer Nebulizer IH30®	Ultrasonic nebulizer	Silent and portable	replaced much more frequently
Omron NE-U22V®,	Vibrating mesh nebulizer	Higher output efficiency, minimal residual volume, and High percentage of particles in the emission, small in size	Less efficient in nebulizing aerosols
Pari E-Flow®
Pari LCD®	Breathe-enhanced nebulizers	Higher output efficiency avoiding apparatus loss and exhaled loss	N/A
AeroEclipse®	Dosimetric nebulizer	Higher output efficiency avoiding apparatus loss and exhaled loss	N/A