Attaching a spacer to your inhaler is a key step in ensuring you receive your medication effectively. The process involves preparing your inhaler, connecting it to the spacer, and positioning yourself correctly for use.
Simple Steps to Attach Your Spacer
Based on common practice and the provided reference steps, attaching your spacer is straightforward. Here's how you do it:
- Prepare the Inhaler: First, take off the cap and shake the inhaler. This ensures the medicine is properly mixed and ready.
- Connect to the Spacer: Next, put the inhaler into the end of your spacer. The end designed for the inhaler usually has a socket-like opening that fits the metal canister part of the inhaler.
- Prepare for Use: With the inhaler now attached, you prepare to inhale the medication. Breathe out gently as long as comfortable. Then, put the mouthpiece between your teeth and lips, making a seal so no medicine can escape.
These steps ensure the device is correctly assembled and you are ready to deliver the medication effectively into your lungs with the help of the spacer.
Why Use a Spacer?
Using a spacer with your metered-dose inhaler (MDI) helps improve medication delivery. Spacers hold the medication mist in a chamber after it's released from the inhaler, allowing you to inhale it more slowly and deeply. This reduces the amount of medication that settles in your mouth or throat and increases the amount that reaches your airways.
Checking the Seal
Ensuring a good seal between the inhaler and the spacer (Step 2) is crucial. The inhaler should fit snugly into the spacer's port. Similarly, creating a tight seal around the mouthpiece with your lips and teeth (Step 4, preparing for inhalation after attachment) is essential to prevent the medicine from escaping, ensuring you inhale the full dose.
Following these steps helps maximize the benefits of using a spacer for managing your respiratory condition.
