The minimum volume for a nebulizer to function correctly can be as low as 0.5 mL.
Nebulizers are designed to aerosolize medication for inhalation. However, they cannot aerosolize all of the liquid placed in the medication reservoir. A small amount of liquid will always remain, known as the residual volume or dead volume. Nebulization therapy continues until the nebulizer begins to "sputter," indicating that the medication volume is too low for continuous aerosolization.
According to research, this residual volume is typically around 1 mL, but it can range from approximately 0.5 mL to 1.5 mL. Therefore, the minimum volume a nebulizer can have before it ceases to function effectively is generally considered to be in the 0.5 mL range.
