What is Nebulization?

 

Nebulization is the process of turning liquid medication or saline into a mist of fine drops of moisture - Nebulizing is simply, humidifying/moisturizing

 

 

Why Nebulize?

Your nose and mouth filter, moisturize and warm the air you breath. Your tracheostomy tube or open (Laryngectomy) stoma, bypasses this natural mechanism. While the tracheostomy tube enables you to breath through a breathing stoma into your trachea, and the Laryngectomy open stoma enables you to breath into your trachea, your trachea does not have a natural ability to humidify itself or aid in the humidification/moisturization of your nose, sinuses, mouth, throat, windpipe lining or lung lining.

Prior to your tracheotomy or your laryngectomy, your trachea only received air that had been filtered and warmed by passing through your mouth and nose. Your trachea had never been exposed directly to air.

• Nebulization thins secretions & mucus making it easier to expel pulmonary secretions
• Nebulization makes coughing easier while lessening the need to cough
• Nebulization keeps your windpipe & trachea lining and stoma moist & healthy
• Nebulization moistens the air that goes into your lungs
• Nebulization hydrates & moisturizes your nasal passages, mouth and throat
• Nebulization does what your nose and mouth use to do
• Nebulization humidifies

How often should I Nebulize?

Most Respiratory professionals will agree, in order to maintain healthy airways hydration/moisturization of the nose, mouth, tracheostomy stoma or open stoma should be done throughout each 24-hour period by nebulizing.

• up to 2.5 hrs per day for nose & mouth and up to another 2.5 hours for the tracheostomy
• up to a total of five hours per day

   

 

Nebulizing Less Than Medically Recommended...

• Trachea, stoma, nose, sinus & mouth trissues dry out
• Mucus becomes thick, secreations become sticky and stringy
• Mucus and secretions lodge in these orifices and can restrict airway passage
• Dry orifice tissue is vulnerable to splitting and bleeding from lack of moisture
• Bleeding from dry airway tissues compromises airway passages
• Bleeding is corrosive to the lungs, esophagus, throat
• Dry tissue can become lodged in orifices
• Expulsion of dry tissue, thick mucus, stringy secretions is difficult and painful
• If mucus and secretions are not expelled, pneumonia is a possibility
• Tissue around the stoma dries, crystallizes & hardens to the tracheostomy tube from lack of hydration
• It’s not uncommon for hospitalization to be necessary when orifices dry out
• Hospital stays of 32-48 hours are necessary to ensure tissue is properly humidified