You are administering an aerosol treatment to a patient via a small volume nebulizer when you realize that the output appears to be much less than normal.On checking the flow meter,you see that it is set to 4 L/min.Your next action is to:

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A flow rate of 2 L/min is insufficient to produce an effective mass median aerodynamic diameter (MMAD),whereas a flow rate of 20 L/min is too high for a gas-powered small volume nebulizer.The flow rate of 4 L/min is low enough to be causing the problem and should be addressed before searching for other solutions.On the basis of the results of Hess and colleagues,an average optimal volume and flow rate for many nebulizers is a volume of 5 mL with a flow rate of 6 to 8 L/min.Also,each model of jet nebulizer is designed to work best at a specific flow.It is important to operate a jet nebulizer with a compressor or a gas flow that matches the intended design.

You Are Administering an Aerosol Treatment to a Patient Via