AAAR 31st Annual Conference
October 8-12, 2012
Hyatt Regency Minneapolis
Minneapolis, Minnesota, USA
Abstract View
Comparison of Face Mask Seal using Different Facial Materials on an Idealized Infant Replica
NICHOLAS CARRIGY, Connor O'Reilly, James Schmitt, Warren Finlay, University of Alberta
Abstract Number: 697 Working Group: Health Related Aerosols
Abstract A face mask is commonly attached to a valved holding chamber (VHC) to allow for the delivery of pharmaceutical aerosols from a pressurized meter dose inhaler (pMDI) to a small child or infant who is too young to reliably breathe through a mouthpiece. Leakage can occur between the face mask and the child’s face if insufficient force is applied to the VHC by the parent; however, if too much force is applied the child may become uncooperative, preventing drug delivery. It is difficult to quantify the seal provided by the face mask using in-vivo tests. Instead, it is common to use a single replica of a child’s face to compare the seal provided in-vitro for different face mask designs. An idealized infant nasal airway and face designed to mimic the average nasal airway deposition in infants has recently been developed for in-vitro testing of pMDIs (Javaheri et al., J. Aerosol Sci. 2012, in press). However, the material used to replicate the idealized infant face has not been previously explored.
This study provides a comparison of face mask seal when different materials are used to replicate the idealized infant face. The five materials compared in this study are acrylic, metal, silicone, polycarbonate with a thin layer of silicone, and polycarbonate with a thin layer of Hitohada gel. The seal was measured as a function of applied force for commercial Aerochamber, Philips Respironics, Pocket Chamber, and Vortex VHCs with the commercial face masks available for each VHC. Experimental results were obtained by flowing pure nitrogen through the VHC and measuring total ambient air leakage into the idealized infant nasal airway with an oxygen sensor. The amount of force applied to the VHC was varied using an adjustable flat plate and measured using a load cell. This study provides a quantitative comparison of the face mask seal for five material representations of an idealized infant face.