Inhalations For Dry Cough With A Nebulizer For Children: What To Do, Video

2024 Author: Rachel Wainwright | [email protected]. Last modified: 2023-12-15 07:39

Inhalation for dry cough: nebulizer for children and adults, steam, sprays

The content of the article:

Nebulizer inhalation
Steam inhalation
Spray inhalation
What inhalations to do with dry cough
1. Alkaline inhalation
2. Saline inhalation
3. Inhalation with medicinal plants
4. Inhalation with ambroxol
Recommendations for inhalation for children
Video

Dry cough inhalation is an effective method that is used in addition to the main treatment for children and adults. Inhalation is usually not contraindicated in all trimesters of pregnancy. The procedure allows you to moisturize and soften the mucous membranes of the respiratory tract, reduce bronchial spasm and inflammation, quickly transfer a dry cough into a wet one, and reduce the strength and duration of cough attacks. Cold inhalations can be used from the first days of the disease, steam is prescribed for a lingering cough.

Steam inhalation is the easiest and most popular method for treating dry cough at home.

Inhalation can be carried out not only with the help of an inhaler in a medical institution, but also at home. They are also carried out using a spray and a nebulizer, as well as by inhaling steam over a container with a medicinal substance. Inhalation can be hot, in which the patient inhales hot vapor of a plant, pharmacological or other agent, as well as cold, in which the temperature of the inhaled substance does not exceed room temperature.

Is it possible to do inhalations with a dry cough, the attending physician decides after the examination, diagnosis and assessment of the patient's condition.

Nebulizer inhalation

The nebulizer breaks down the active ingredient into small particles, which are then inhaled by the patient. Inhalation in this way for dry cough is much more effective than steam. The procedure is especially useful for pharyngitis, bronchitis, pneumonia, pleurisy.

The benefits of inhalation with a nebulizer include:

fast action of the medicinal substance;
the possibility of carrying out the procedure at elevated body temperature;
safety, first of all, for children, since there is no risk of overheating or burns of the mucous membranes, which often occurs with steam inhalation;
the ability to carry out inhalations with agents that lose their effectiveness when heated.

Nebulizers are classified into ultrasonic and compression nebulizers.

The ultrasonic nebulizer works silently, is compact, and can be used to treat the smallest children. The device is not used for inhalation with antibiotics, hormonal drugs, essential oils, unrefined decoctions and herbal infusions.

Nebulizer inhalation is most suitable for the treatment of dry cough in children

Liquid splitting in ultrasonic nebulizers occurs using a piezoelectric element. A compression nebulizer is used more often than an ultrasonic one. This device is especially convenient for inhalations with antitussive, antibacterial, enzymatic and herbal medicines. With the help of a compression nebulizer, you can perform procedures with bronchodilators, mucolytic, anti-inflammatory drugs, as well as drugs that help moisturize the mucous membrane of the respiratory tract (saline, soda, mineral water). The compression nebulizer is larger than the ultrasonic one, it works more noisily.

The dosage of the agent and the frequency of the procedure are selected by the attending physician. For inhalation using a nebulizer, the required amount of drug solution is poured into the device, the procedure takes 2-3 minutes.

Do not inhale with substances that are not suitable for use in a nebulizer. Medicines must be warmed to room temperature before use. A nebulizer used for inhalation at home should be washed after each procedure. It is usually recommended to clean the nebulizer elements with a 15% soda solution, unless otherwise indicated in the instructions for use of the device.

Steam inhalation

This method is most often used for inhalation with a dry cough at home, as it is as simple as possible and does not require any devices. The therapeutic procedure consists in inhaling vapor from a liquid poured into a container with a solution. To reduce losses and increase heat exposure, the head is bent over the container and covered with a towel. In this case, you should not bend too low. Inhalation can be carried out with solutions of soda or salt, infusions and decoctions of medicinal herbs, essential oils, etc.

With a dry cough, the duration of the procedure for adults should not exceed 10 minutes, for children over five years old - no more than 3 minutes. Hot steam inhalation is not recommended for young children.

You need to breathe slowly and deeply during inhalation. To get the maximum benefit, you should not engage in any other activity during the procedure, especially talking. Immediately after inhalation, you should not go out into the cold, smoke, you should refrain from eating for a period of at least 30 minutes.

Steam inhalation is contraindicated in the acute period of the disease, at elevated body temperature, and in the presence of pus or blood in the sputum. Inhalation is not carried out with arterial hypertension, high pulse rate, pulmonary emphysema, blood vessel pathologies, heart disease, severe dizziness, a tendency to nosebleeds, and cerebrovascular accident.

Doctor Komarovsky emphasizes that steam inhalations for children under 7 years old can be carried out only after consultation with the attending physician. He argues that an alternative to steam inhalation can be sufficient ventilation and humidification of the air in the room where the patient is located, and an abundant drinking regime.

Spray inhalation

Inhalation with a spray is used most often for the treatment of chronic diseases of the respiratory tract, such as bronchial asthma, chronic obstructive pulmonary disease. The spray helps to quickly deliver a potent drug to the site of exposure.

For inhalation with a spray from the package, you need to remove the protective cap, place the mouthpiece in your mouth, exhale, press the bottom of the bottle and inhale the drug. After that, you need to hold your breath, remove the mouthpiece from your mouth and exhale.

Inhalation with a spray allows you to quickly stop a cough attack

If it is necessary to take several drugs, a bronchodilator drug is usually inhaled first, after about 20 minutes, mucolytics can be used, after half an hour, an antiseptic can be inhaled, and an anti-inflammatory drug can be used immediately after it. Many medicinal products in sprays are dispensed without a prescription, but since we are talking about potent drugs, it is strongly discouraged to take them on your own without a doctor's prescription.

What inhalations to do with dry cough

Alkaline inhalation

Home inhalation with dry cough with baking soda is among the most popular due to its availability, ease of implementation and effectiveness. You can use a nebulizer or steam soda inhalation. It should be carried out no earlier than 1.5 hours after eating.

Dissolve 1 teaspoon of baking soda in 1 liter of water and bring to a boil. You can add one or two drops of essential oil to the liquid - mint, pine, juniper, fir, orange, eucalyptus. Cool the solution to the desired temperature before use.

The soda solution can be replaced with alkaline mineral water, for example, Borjomi or Essentuki. Before use, gas is released from the water (for this, you can leave the bottle open for a while or pour it into a glass and stir with a spoon). Inhalation with mineral water is carried out for 5-10 minutes, you can do up to 3 procedures per day.

Alkaline inhalations make it possible to transfer a dry cough into a wet one, contribute to the dilution and removal of difficult sputum from the respiratory tract, promote the expansion of the bronchial lumen and thereby facilitate breathing. They are prescribed to patients with acute respiratory viral infections, laryngitis, tracheitis, bronchitis, pneumonia. An improvement in the condition is usually noticeable immediately after starting treatment.

Some patients may be allergic to baking soda. Such patients may experience dizziness, general weakness, nausea, and constipation. When they appear, you need to stop soda inhalations and consult a doctor.

Saline inhalation

Saline can be used both to dilute other medicines and as the main inhalation agent. Saline solution can be prepared at home by dissolving 10 g of table salt in 1 liter of warm water.

Inhalation with medicinal plants

Medicinal herbs with emollient, anti-inflammatory, expectorant and antimicrobial effects are used: sage, eucalyptus, chamomile, coltsfoot, as well as their mixtures (various breast fees). Place 2 tablespoons of dry raw materials in a small saucepan, pour in two glasses of water, bring to a boil and simmer over low heat for 5 minutes. After that, they are removed from the heat, slightly cooled and inhaled, bending over the pan and inhaling the steam.

Inhalation with ambroxol

If, with a dry cough, it is required to soften the mucous membranes of the throat, reduce the viscosity of sputum and remove it from the respiratory tract, nebulizer inhalations with ambroxol-based drugs are prescribed - Ambrobene, Lazolvan, etc. Ambroxol hydrochloride improves sputum discharge, enhances the effect of anti-infective drugs.

Lazolvan inhalations are very effective for dry coughs, but they can only be used as directed by a doctor.

For one procedure, children under 2 years old take 1 ml of solution, 2-6 years old - 2 ml of the drug, over 6 years old - 2-3 ml of the drug. The drug is diluted with saline in a 1: 1 ratio. The solution must be heated to room temperature, placed in the device and inhaled.

The procedure is carried out 1-2 times a day, the course of treatment is approximately 5 days (the exact number and frequency of procedures is determined by the attending physician). If after 5 days of treatment there is no positive effect, you need to consult a doctor to cancel or replace the drug.

Recommendations for inhalation for children

Inhalation with a dry cough with a nebulizer for children is the best option. They are safe, not accompanied by any unpleasant sensations and therefore are well tolerated by the child. This method of treatment has practically no drawbacks, since the drug is delivered directly to the inflammatory focus in the most assimilable form, without exerting a systemic effect.

Inhalation for children should be carried out under the supervision of adults. If during inhalation the child has a severe cough, dizziness occurs, the procedure should be stopped immediately and the problem should be reported to the doctor. As a rule, this indicates drug intolerance.