AAAR 31st Annual Conference
October 8-12, 2012
Hyatt Regency Minneapolis
Minneapolis, Minnesota, USA
Abstract View
Development of a Wick Electrospray Pharmaceutical Aerosol Generator
LANDON HOLBROOK, Worth Longest, Virginia Commonwealth University
Abstract Number: 167 Working Group: Health Related Aerosols
Abstract A novel wick-based electrospray system (WES) is presented and developed with the goal of delivering submicrometer pharmaceutical aerosols to mechanically ventilated patients at very high efficiencies. In the WES system, a porous polymer wick is placed in a reservoir containing a dissolved drug model and liquid vehicle. An electrical potential is applied between the wick and a counter electrode ring to create the submicrometer aerosol. The device is connected in the inspiratory arm of a mechanical ventilation circuit and driven by an external power supply. One significant innovation of this system for respiratory drug delivery is that both the microprocessor-controlled syringe pump and capillary are replaced with readily available low-cost polymer wicks. The objective of this developmental study is to evaluate initial performance of the WES device for delivering pharmaceutical aerosols to infants on mechanical ventilation. In vitro experiments are used to quantify aerosol production rates and depositional losses in the device, on the counter-electrode, and in the connective tubing. Outlet aerosol size is quantified using an optical particle counter and cascade impaction. Computational fluid dynamics simulations are used to optimize the counter-electrode geometry and inlet co-flow air to minimize depositional losses. Through modifying the solution surface tension, wick configuration, counter-electrode, and field strength, aerosols in the submicrometer range are generated. Deposition within the system is found to be within an acceptable range indicating the potential usefulness of this device in therapeutic applications.