nebulizer
Meaning of nebulizer: A nebulizer converts liquid medication into a fine mist that a person inhales directly into the lungs and airways.
Definition of nebulizer
A nebulizer is a device that converts a liquid medication into a fine mist, allowing the medication to be inhaled directly into the airways and lungs. The device typically uses compressed air, oxygen, or ultrasonic vibration to break the liquid into small enough droplets to be carried deep into the respiratory tract with each breath.
Nebulizers are commonly used to deliver medications such as bronchodilators, which relax and widen the airways, and inhaled corticosteroids, which reduce airway inflammation, for conditions including asthma and chronic obstructive pulmonary disease.
A nebulizer treatment is typically administered through a mouthpiece or a face mask over several minutes, an approach sometimes preferred over a handheld inhaler for young children or others who have difficulty coordinating the breathing technique an inhaler requires.
Used in a sentence
The patient was given a nebulizer treatment to relieve wheezing during the asthma flare.
Good to know
A nebulizer is sometimes chosen over a handheld inhaler for a person who has difficulty coordinating the breath timing an inhaler requires, since the nebulizer delivers medication continuously over several minutes of normal breathing.
Word origin
Where “nebulizer” comes from
Formed from Latin nebula, meaning mist or cloud.