Your child has difficulty breathing and the doctor prescribed medication to help him/her.
Hereby we are providing some tips for the use of this medication.

Medication

Airway dilator

Airway dilators relax the muscles surrounding the airways. This improves airflow and reduces your child’s symptoms, such as shortness of breath. This medication is mostly used as needed when your child has difficulty breathing and sometimes used before exercise. Your doctor will tell you when and how many puffs you should use for your child.
An example of an airway dilator is salbutamol (Ventolin). This puffer has a blue cover.

Airway protector

Airway protectors reduce inflammation in the airways and protect the lungs against shortness of breath. It is important to take these drugs every day. Your doctor will tell you when and how many puffs you should use for your child.
Examples of airway protectors are beclometason (Qvar), this has an orange/brown color, and beclometason-formoterol (Foster), this has a pink color. There are other airway protectors available.

Tips:

Use:

· Never use a puffer that you should use with an aerochamber directly into the mouth.
· Make sure you use the medication in the correct order. If your child uses an airway dilator and airway protector at the same time, always use the airway dilator (blue puffer) first and after approximately 10 minutes you can use the airway protector (other color).
· Always shake the puffer before use.
· Make sure your child is sitting upright or standing during the puffing.
· Never use 2 puffs at the same time in the aerochamber.
· If you need to give 2 or more puffs make sure you take the puffer out of the aerochamber and shake in between puffs.
· After you have sprayed a puff into the aerochamber start inhaling immediately. The puff remains within the aerochamber for approximately 20 seconds.
· For every puff let your child inhale and exhale 5 times.
· If a child is crying during the puffing, it is less effective. Try to reassure your child and distract him/her.
· Taking the airway protector needs to become a habit. Therefore, it is easier to combine the airway protector with brushing the teeth for example or breakfast and dinner.
· After puffing, rinse the mouth or, for young children, clean the area around the mouth with a damp cloth and let them take a sip of water.

Cleaning/storage:

· Clean the aerochamber once or twice a week in lukewarm water with dish soap, rinse under running water and allow to air dry on a clean tea towel. Never dry the aerochamber with a tea towel because then the aerochamber becomes static what causes the drug to attach to the side of the aerochamber.
· Make sure all parts of the aerochamber are placed in the correct position after cleaning and make sure the valve can move back and forth with inhalation.
· Plastic aerochambers become static more easily. Therefore, do not store the aerochamber in plastic bags or synthetic covers.

More information?

For more information and instruction video’s about the use of asthma medication you can look at: https://inhalatorgebruik.nl

Questions?
If you have any questions please contact the nurse from the pediatric ward or pulmonary nurse at the pediatric outpatient clinic.