This guide is general information for families, not medical advice. Use only the medicine, dose and timing the doctor prescribed, and follow the instructions that came with your nebulizer.
Key facts
- Sit upright and breathe normally through the mouth until the medicine cup is empty and no more mist comes out.
- The American Lung Association advises washing the medicine cup, top piece and mask or mouthpiece after every use, and soaking them in white vinegar and water for 30 minutes once a week.
- Never put the compressor or the tubing in water. Replace the compressor’s air filter about every six months.
- If the patient needs the nebulizer more often than prescribed, contact the doctor the same day.
What should I know about using a nebulizer at home?
Confirm the medicine, dose and timing with the prescriber, ask for a demonstration and check the instructions for your model. Plan how to clean the equipment and what to do during a power cut. A nebulizer home service supports prescribed treatment; it does not replace emergency care when someone is struggling to breathe.
Nebulizer usage instructions
- Wash your hands.
- Put the prescribed dose of medicine into the medicine cup. Do not mix medicines in the cup unless the doctor or pharmacist told you to.
- Attach the top piece to the medicine cup, then the mask or mouthpiece, and connect the tubing from the compressor to the cup.
- Sit the patient upright. Place the mask over the nose and mouth, or put the mouthpiece between the teeth with the lips closed around it.
- Turn on the compressor and hold the cup upright, so the medicine does not spill and turns into mist properly.
- Breathe normally, in through the mouth, so the medicine reaches deep into the lungs. Continue until the medicine cup is empty and no more mist comes out.
- Turn off the compressor, and clean the parts as described below.
Some medicines, such as steroids, can irritate the mouth. Ask the doctor or pharmacist whether the patient should rinse the mouth with water after each treatment.
Cleaning
After every use
Wash the medicine cup, top piece and mask or mouthpiece in warm soapy water, rinse them, shake off the water and let them air-dry in a clean, dry place before the next use.
Once a week
Soak the same parts in a mix of white vinegar and water for 30 minutes, or clean them the way the manufacturer recommends, then rinse and air-dry. Wipe the outside of the compressor and tubing with a soapy cloth. Never put the compressor or the tubing in water. Replace the compressor’s air filter about every six months, or as the manufacturer advises.
Power cuts
A compressor nebulizer needs electricity. Ask the doctor what to use during load-shedding, for example a battery-powered nebulizer or an inhaler with a spacer, so treatment is not missed.
When breathing is an emergency
Call Rescue 1122 if the patient is struggling to breathe or too breathless to speak, the lips or face turn blue or grey, they become confused or drowsy, or the nebulizer is not helping. If the patient needs the nebulizer more often than prescribed, contact the doctor the same day.
Nebulizer treatment at home with nurse support
On a nebulizer treatment visit, a Registered Nurse checks the prescription, the medicine and the equipment, gives the prescribed treatment, watches how the patient’s breathing responds, cleans the equipment and refers the patient if breathing gets worse. The visit needs a doctor’s order, and the family provides the medicine and a working nebulizer. Nurse at Home is preparing to launch and is not taking bookings yet.