homemade inhaler spacer

[schoolnurse1001]

I have a sixth grader that can not get the hang of using the inhaler. I have tried and tried teaching but he still can not coordinate it correctly. He does not have a spacer. I have heard you can make one out of rolled up paper. Has anyone ever made a spacer for a student to use at school?

Thanks

[luvschoolnursing, LPN]

No, I haven't heard of that, but his doctor may have one he can give him if his parent asks. My insurance wouldn't pay for one for my son and my doctor gave me one. They are really expensive if you have to buy them.

[BunnyBunnyBSNRN, ASN, BSN]

Schoolnurse,

I have used either a small zippy bag with a hole cut in the bottom for the inhaler to fit into (the stu holds the "zippy" part around his lips) and/or an empty toilet paper roll as a spacer for kiddos without one. I have heard of using a paper cup (with a hole cut in the bottom for the inhaler) but have never tried that my self.

Hope this helps!

Sara

[AngelMnemosyne]

Check out this post, which shows a homemade spacer made out of a plastic water bottle:

Cheap asthma treatment using a homemade spacer

I made one like this myself by carefully cutting out an appropriately-sized hole with an Xacto knife, and it works perfectly for me. Make sure you follow the same instructions for a "normal" spacer though, as in wash after every use, and make sure it's dry before you use it again. Let it air dry, because rubbing the inside can create static, which will cause the powder/crystals from the inhaler to stick to the sides of the spacer.

[Neveranurseagain, RN]

I have a student that uses the "tail" of the svn--the semi clear, blue ridged tube that is about 8 inches long off the right end of a nebulizer.

Google Image Result for http://www.med-worldwide.com/media/ss/210/BoundTree/412046.jpg

It slides right on the mouthpiece of the inhaler.

[mustlovepoodles, RN]

I have used toilet paper rolls for spacers. Not ideal, but better than not using it. Last year I had a 6th grader who had terrible asthma, always flaring up. Well, when I saw how he was using his MDI I understood why--he wasn't inhaling. His (very resistant) mother wasn't interested in getting him a spacer, so I made one out of a cardboard toilet roll. It took me 2 weeks to get him up to speed, but it was amazing how much better asthma control he had after that. And he was so proud of himself!