Department of Respiratory Care, Texas State University, Round Rock, TX, USA.
Department of Respiratory Therapy, University of North Carolina Wilmington, Wilmington, NC, USA.
Int J Chron Obstruct Pulmon Dis. 2021 Sep 28;16:2687-2695. doi: 10.2147/COPD.S332021. eCollection 2021.
COVID-19 has affected millions of patients, caregivers, and clinicians around the world. Severe acute respiratory syndrome coronavirus 2 (SARS-CoV-2) spreads via droplets and close contact from person to person, and there has been an increased concern regarding aerosol drug delivery due to the potential aerosolizing of viral particles. To date, little focus has been given to aerosol drug delivery to patients with COVID-19 treated at home to minimize their hospital utilization. Since most hospitals were stressed with multiple admissions and experienced restricted healthcare resources in the era of COVID-19 pandemic, treating patients with COPD at home became essential to minimize their hospital utilization. However, guidance on how to deliver aerosolized medications safely and effectively to this patient population treated at home is still lacking. In this paper, we provide some strategies and rationales for device and interface selection, delivery technique, and infection control for patients with COPD who are being treated at home in the era of COVID-19 and beyond.
COVID-19 已经影响了全球数以百万计的患者、护理人员和临床医生。严重急性呼吸系统综合征冠状病毒 2（SARS-CoV-2）通过飞沫和人与人之间的密切接触传播，由于病毒颗粒可能被气溶胶化，人们越来越关注气溶胶药物输送。迄今为止，人们很少关注在家中接受治疗的 COVID-19 患者的气溶胶药物输送，以尽量减少他们的住院利用。由于大多数医院在 COVID-19 大流行时期承受着多次入院的压力，并经历着有限的医疗资源，因此在家中治疗 COPD 患者对于尽量减少他们的住院利用变得至关重要。然而，关于如何安全有效地向在家中接受治疗的这一患者群体输送雾化药物的指导仍然缺乏。在本文中，我们为 COVID-19 时期及以后在家中接受治疗的 COPD 患者提供了一些关于设备和接口选择、输送技术和感染控制的策略和理由。
