Aerosol bag for administration of bronchodilators to young asthmatic children.

An aerosol rebreathing bag was developed by modifying an ordinary freezer bag of 1-qt size. A mouthpiece was inserted in a corner of the bag, and the aerosol canister was actuated inside the bag while an asthmatic child breathed in and out of the bag. Its feasibility was tested in 20 child-parent pairs. Children less than age 7 years easily learned to inhale aerosols from the bag. Bronchodilator efficacy of albuterol aerosol using the bag was compared with that of the canister mouthpiece in 15 children aged 7 to 15 years. The results were nearly identical.