Abstract
The technique of using a charged bolus of aerosol to deliver a drug or other agent is advantageous since sites of interest within the lung can be selectively targeted. Ideally, the volume of the bolus should match that of the targeted region allowing the aerosol bolus particles to be confined to the selected area during the pause period after inhalation. The authors' existing computer model for predicting the deposition of charged aerosol particles has been developed to encompass aerosol boli, some diseased lung morphologies and drug dose administered per breathing cycle. Aerosol deposition in the targeted region is found to be enhanced by increasing particle charge, pause period and particle size. For particles in the size range 1-2.5 mu m, aerosol deposition in the region affected by bronchoconstriction does not alter significantly with flow rate variation (range 250-1000 ml s-1) for a targeted charged bolus of matched volume. The technique may enable the optimal delivery of therapeutic or other agents to diseased or normal lungs.