Back to Journals » International Journal of Chronic Obstructive Pulmonary Disease » Volume 3 » Issue 4

Higher lung deposition with Respimat® Soft Mist™ Inhaler than HFA-MDI in COPD patients with poor technique

Authors Brand P, Hederer B, Austen G, Dewberry H, Meyer T, Schulze A

Published 5 December 2008 Volume 2008:3(4) Pages 763—770

DOI https://doi.org/10.2147/COPD.S3930

Review by Single anonymous peer review

Peer reviewer comments 4



Peter Brand1, Bettina Hederer2, George Austen3, Helen Dewberry3, Thomas Meyer4

1RWTH, Aachen, Germany; 2Boehringer Ingelheim, Ingelheim, Germany; 3Boehringer Ingelheim, Bracknell, UK; 4Inamed Research, Gauting, Germany

Abstract: Aerosols delivered by Respimat® Soft Mist™ Inhaler (SMI) are slower-moving and longer-lasting than those from pressurized metered-dose inhalers (pMDIs), improving the efficiency of pulmonary drug delivery to patients. In this four-way cross-over study, adults with chronic obstructive pulmonary disease (COPD) and with poor pMDI technique received radiolabelled Berodual® (fenoterol hydrobromide 50 µg/ipratropium bromide 20 µg) via Respimat® SMI or hydrofluoroalkane (HFA)-MDI (randomized order) on test days 1 and 2, with no inhaler technique training. The procedure was repeated on test days 3 and 4 after training. Deposition was measured by gamma scintigraphy. All 13 patients entered (9 males, mean age 62 years; FEV1 46% of predicted) inhaled too fast at screening (peak inspiratory flow rate [IF]: 69–161 L/min). Whole lung deposition was higher with Respimat® SMI than with pMDI for untrained (37% of delivered dose vs 21% of metered dose) and trained patients (53% of delivered vs 21% of metered dose) (pSign-Test = 0.15; pANOVA< 0.05). Training also improved inhalation profiles (slower average and peak IF as well as longer breath-hold time). Drug delivery to the lungs with Respimat® SMI is more efficient than with pMDI, even with poor inhaler technique. Teaching patients to hold their breath as well as to inhale slowly and deeply increased further lung deposition using Respimat® SMI.

Keywords: chronic obstructive pulmonary disease, drug delivery, inhalation, metered-dose inhaler, poor inhalation technique, training

Creative Commons License © 2008 The Author(s). This work is published and licensed by Dove Medical Press Limited. The full terms of this license are available at https://www.dovepress.com/terms.php and incorporate the Creative Commons Attribution - Non Commercial (unported, v3.0) License. By accessing the work you hereby accept the Terms. Non-commercial uses of the work are permitted without any further permission from Dove Medical Press Limited, provided the work is properly attributed. For permission for commercial use of this work, please see paragraphs 4.2 and 5 of our Terms.