An oxygen nebulizer is a medical equipment that is used to give medicine to people in mist form.
This kind of nebulizer is used to treat patients with cystic fibrosis, asthma, and other respiratory diseases.
Oxygen nebulizers are also called atomizers as they pump oxygen through a liquid so that it turns into vapor and can be easily inhaled by the patient.
It is important to note that doctors always prefer to prescribe inhalers for patients with minor respiratory problems as inhalers are easier to carry and definitely, less expensive.
However, oxygen nebulizers are needed for more critical patients with severe cases of respiratory problems.
The medicine used in oxygen nebulizers is usually in a concentrated liquid or viscous form.
They are steroids and they are administered through the oxygen nebulizers so that their effects are limited to lungs and respiratory system only.
To prevent the steroid from becoming toxic for the body, the liquid is loaded into the machine and then inhaled directly into the lungs.
For those with lungs constriction, bronchodilators such as Albuterol are often administered through these nebulizers.
The medicine is inhaled through a nebulizer mask, much like the one in an inhaler, which allows the surrounding air to mix with the medicine and thereby, decreases the unpleasantness of the vapor.
Rubber face masks are used for easy inhaling for small children and older people.
A person using an oxygen nebulizer for inhaling medicine must rinse his mouth after every use because the steroids used may cause yeast infection.
There are less chances of contaminating your mouth if you are inhaling bronchdilating drugs, but it is always more comfortable when you rinse your mouth after every nebulizer treatment to get rid of the taste of medicine in your mouth.
It is also important to remember that the oxygen nebulizer must be cleaned properly.
After each use, wash the nebulizer mask with warm water and leave it to air dry.
At the end of the day, use warm soapy water to clean the pipe and mask.
Prepare a solution of vinegar and water and wash all the nebulizer parts.
This solution acts as a disinfectant and you can use this solution to wash your nebulizer, twice or thrice a week.
You may also opt for some commercial nebulizer disinfectant for this purpose.
The nebulizer must be kept away from dirt or smoke, as these may infect the airways of the patient when he is inhaling the medicine during treatment.