Journal of aerosol medicine and pulmonary drug delivery
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J Aerosol Med Pulm Drug Deliv · Dec 2009
Optimized aerosol delivery to a mechanically ventilated rodent.
Aerosol delivery through an endotracheal tube during mechanical ventilation of small animals, simulating neonates and small infants, has shown to be influenced by a variety of factors including aerosol generator type, droplet/particle size, ventilator circuitry and ventilation regime. A review of the literature indicates that reported aerosol deposition rates in rodents are quite low, with lung deposition in anesthetized, mechanically ventilated rats reported to be approximately 3.9 and approximately 8% in anesthetized, spontaneously breathing rats. The optimization of aerosol delivery to both in vitro and in vivo models of anesthetized mechanically ventilated rodents is described in this study. ⋯ This optimized experimental setup allows for greater inhaled mass than previously reported. The addition of a recycling step may prove to be a significant improvement in achieving higher deposition in mechanically ventilated lungs; however, the suitability of the test agent for repeated nebulization needs assessment.