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What is a Spacer?

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Question: What is a Spacer?

Answer: A spacer is a large plastic two-part container that has a mouthpiece on one end and a hole at the other end. The mouthpiece is the part used to inhale the respiratory medication. The hole at the other end is where the inhaler attaches.

Facts About Spacers

  • Spacers make aerosol inhalers easier to use and more effective.
  • Spacers help to get more respiratory medication into the lungs than inhalers used without spacers.
  • Respiratory medication gets trapped inside the space, allowing for inhalation without simultaneous pressing on the inhaler.
  • Spacers are more convenient and compact than nebulizers, yet work just as well.
  • Spacers help to reduce side effects caused by higher doses of inhaled steroids by reducing the amount of respiratory medication swallowed and absorbed.

    Source: Asthma Society

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