Dry powder inhaler

A Dry powder inhaler (DPI) is a device that delivers medication to the lungs in the form of a dry powder. DPIs are commonly used to treat respiratory diseases such as asthma, bronchitis, emphysema and COPD although DPIs have also been used in the treatment of diabetes mellitus.^[1]

DPIs are an alternative to the aerosol based inhalers commonly called metered-dose inhaler (or MDI). The DPIs may require some procedure to allow a measured dose of powder to be ready for the patient to take. The medication is commonly held either in a capsule for manual loading or a proprietary form from inside the inhaler. Once loaded or actuated, the operator puts the mouthpiece of the inhaler into their mouth and takes a deep inhalation, holding their breath for 5-10 seconds. There are a variety of such devices. The dose that can be delivered is typically less than a few tens of milligrams in a single breath since larger powder doses may lead to provocation of cough.

Most DPIs rely on the force of patient inhalation to entrain powder from the device and subsequently break-up the powder into particles that are small enough to reach the lungs.^[2] For this reason, insufficient patient inhalation flow rates may lead to reduced dose delivery and incomplete deaggregation of the powder, leading to unsatisfactory device performance. Thus, most DPIs have a minimum inspiratory effort that is needed for proper use and it is for this reason that such DPIs are normally used only in older children and adults.

Lactose

Some powder inhalers use lactose as bulking agent and to aid in powder uptake from the device during inhalation. While some have suggested that such lactose may be harmful to lactose intolerant people,^[3] the lactose dose delivered by dry powder inhalers is typically less than a few milligrams and such doses do not lead to clinically relevant concerns of adverse effects in lactose intolerant patients.

Storage

DPI medication must be stored in a dry place or sealed packaging, since exposure of the powder to moisture degrades the ability of the device to disperse its medication as a fine powder upon inhalation.

See also

• Inhaler
• Metered-dose inhaler
• Nebulizer

References

1. ^ "Exubera Prescribing Information (PDF)". Pfizer. April 2008. http://www.fda.gov/cder/foi/label/2006/021868mg.pdf. Retrieved 2009-02-27. ^{[dead link]}
2. ^ Finlay, Warren H. (2001). The mechanics of inhaled pharmaceutical aerosols: an introduction. Boston: Academic Press. ISBN 0-12-256971-7. 
3. ^ Changes in Inhaler Devices for Asthma And COPD - Health - RedOrbit

Further reading

• Guidance for Industry:Metered Dose Inhaler (MDI) and Dry Powder Inhaler (DPI) Drug Products[1] Food and Drug Administration Center for Drug Evaluation and Research (CDER)
• The Diskus(tm) Inhaler Medscape Today - Clinical Drug Investigation

This drug article relating to the respiratory system is a stub. You can help Wikipedia by expanding it.v · Categories: Medical treatments Drug delivery devices Dosage forms Respiratory system drug stubs Wikimedia Foundation. 2010. Игры ⚽ Нужно сделать НИР? Vertigo (UTS) Edmonton Pedway Look at other dictionaries: dry powder inhaler — noun A device with a canister holding a medicine in a dry powder form, ready to be sucked/sprayed out as aerosols, with the purpose to be inhaled by a patient into the lungs. The device is commonly used for the treatment of asthma and other type… …   Wiktionary dry powder inhaler — an inhaler that disperses a cloud of dry powdered medication; most types are breath activated …   Medical dictionary Inhaler — NOTOC An inhaler or puffer is a medical device used for delivering medication into the body via the lungs. It is mainly used in the treatment of asthma and Chronic Obstructive Pulmonary Disease (COPD).There are several different types of inhalers …   Wikipedia Powder mixture — A powder is an assembly of dry particles dispersed in air. If two different powders are mixed perfectly, three theoretical powder mixtures can be obtained: the random mixture, the ordered mixture or the interactive mixture. Contents 1 Different… …   Wikipedia Metered-dose inhaler — ProAir HFA Albuterol Sulfate(US) A metered dose inhaler (MDI) is a device that delivers a specific amount of medication to the airway and lungs, in the form of a short burst of aerosolized medicine that is inhaled by the patient. It is the most… …   Wikipedia Tablet — For other uses, see Tablet (disambiguation). Common disk shaped tablets A tablet is a pharmaceutical dosage form. It comprises a mixture of active substances and excipients, usually in powder form, pressed or compacted from a powder into a solid… …   Wikipedia Shampoo — This article is about the haircare product. For other uses, see Shampoo (disambiguation). Bottles of shampoo and lotions manufactured in the early 20th century by the C.L. Hamilton Co. of Washington, D.C. Shampoo (English pronunciation:… …   Wikipedia Topical — This article is about topical medications. For other uses, see Topic (disambiguation). In medicine, a topical medication is applied to body surfaces such as the skin or mucous membranes such as the vagina, anus, throat, eyes and ears. Many… …   Wikipedia Capsule (pharmacy) — In the manufacture of pharmaceuticals, encapsulation refers to a range of techniques used to enclose medicines in a relatively stable shell known as a capsule, allowing them to, for example, be taken orally or be used as suppositories. The two… …   Wikipedia Nebulizer — In medicine, a nebulizer[1] (spelled nebuliser in British English)[2] is a device used to administer medication in the form of a mist inhaled into the lungs. A Jet nebulizer attached to a compressor. Nebuli …   Wikipedia 18+ © Academic, 2000-2024 Contact us: Technical Support, Advertising Dictionaries export, created on PHP, Joomla, Drupal, WordPress, MODx. Mark and share Search through all dictionaries Translate… Search Internet Share the article and excerpts Direct link … Do a right-click on the link above and select “Copy Link”