Asthma spacers
What is a spacer?
Spacers are excellent devices to help improve delivery of inhaled medications to the lungs, such as those used to treat asthma, cystic fibrosis and chronic obstructive pulmonary disease (emphysema or chronic bronchitis).
A spacer is a plastic device which acts as a holding chamber for medication for the few seconds that might elapse between activating your metered dose inhaler (MDI) and breathing in the medication.
Spacers come in a variety of shapes and sizes — they may look like a clear plastic balloon or they may just look like a tube. Your doctor, pharmacist or the Asthma Foundation in your State can provide advice on the type of spacer most suitable for your needs.
How do spacers work?
Spacers help people with asthma to inhale their asthma medication directly into their lower airways, rather than into their throats. Spacers can either fit directly into the mouth with a mouthpiece or via a face mask. The inhaler (or ‘puffer’) fits into the other end of the spacer. The asthma medication is then sprayed from the inhaler into one end of the spacer and breathed in, over a period of time, at the other end. The valves within spacers prevent the medication from escaping into the air, allowing you to breathe at your own pace while inhaling the medication.
Who should use a spacer?
Spacers should be used by:
- adults who have poor co-ordination using a metered dose inhaler, as you don’t have to co-ordinate pressing the inhaler and breathing at exactly the same time;
- children — those aged 4 years and under should use a small-volume spacer (with a face mask for children aged up to 2 years and a mouthpiece for those over 2-5 years), while children 5 years and older should use a large-volume spacer;
- people using inhaled corticosteroids (preventer medication) via an MDI, particularly at high doses, as a spacer can help minimise some of the side effects of the medication; and
- people having an acute asthma attack. Giving high doses of reliever medication via an MDI and valved spacer is an effective alternative to using a nebuliser to deliver the medication. The correct number of puffs of the MDI depends on your age: consult your doctor for specific advice and make sure that this is written into your Asthma Management Plan.
Cleaning your spacer
Spacers should be washed monthly in warm water with kitchen detergent, and left to drain and air dry. Do not dry your spacer with a cloth as this produces static build-up that makes the medication stick to the sides.
If you're not sure how to use your spacer, or if you suspect that you're not using it effectively, ask your doctor or pharmacist to show you how to use it correctly.
Last Reviewed: 12 August 2009
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