Mesh nebulizers use vibrating mesh technology for aerosol production. They force liquid medications through multiple apertures in a mesh or aperture plate in order to generate aerosol. Advantages of mesh nebulizers include consistent and improved aerosol generation efficiency, a predominantly fine-particle fraction reaching into the peripheral lung, low residual volume, and the ability to nebulize in low drug volumes.
Mesh nebulizers can be classified into two categories:
(1) active mesh nebulizers: use a piezo element that contracts and expands on application of an electric current and vibrates a precisely drilled mesh in contact with the medication in order to generate aerosol.
(2) passive mesh nebulizers: use a transducer horn that induces passive vibrations in the perforated plate with tapered holes to produce aerosol.
Examples of active mesh nebulizers include the NebSmart ® (Aerosoon, Shenzhen, China), the Aeroneb ® (Aerogen, Galway, Ireland) and the eFlow ® (PARI, Starnberg, Germany), while the Microair NE-U22 ® (Omron, Bannockburn, IL) is a passive mesh nebulizer.
