Background:
Nebulizers are widely used for the delivery of
aerosols to patients with
chronic obstructive pulmonary disease (
COPD). The InnoSpire Go mesh
nebulizer has been designed to improve upon the ease of use and convenience of existing
nebulizers for the treatment of
COPD. Methods: This was a pilot, single-center, randomized, open-label crossover study conducted over 2 months to investigate the use of the InnoSpire Go mesh
nebulizer compared to the patient's own compressor driven jet
nebulizer in ambulatory patients with stable
COPD. Patient preference was assessed at the end of the study; quality of life, symptom scores, treatment time, and satisfaction were assessed at multiple points during the study. Results: Data for 17 patients were eligible for analysis, patients had a mean age of 64.6 years, and 64.7% were graded 3 on the modified Medical Research Council
dyspnea scale. All patients preferred the InnoSpire Go mesh
nebulizer over their own compressor driven jet
nebulizer (p < 0.001). Nebulization of study drugs using the InnoSpire Go mesh
nebulizer was associated with statistically significant increases in health-related quality of life over baseline (
Dyspnea p = 0.003, Emotion p = 0.043, Mastery p = 0.011). A mixed model analysis of Borg
dyspnea scores before and after exercise showed significantly (p = 0.043) lower scores for the InnoSpire Go mesh
nebulizer compared with the compressor driven
nebulizers. Patient satisfaction was statistically significantly higher for each of 10 questions covering ease of use, confidence, burden of use, satisfaction, and how well the device fit into their lifestyle. Treatment time was significantly shorter with the InnoSpire Go mesh
nebulizer (p = 0.003). Conclusions: Patients preferred and were more satisfied with the InnoSpire Go mesh
nebulizer. Nebulization of study drugs using the InnoSpire Go mesh
nebulizer resulted in improved quality of life compared with baseline, and treatments were delivered in a shorter period than the compressor driven jet
nebulizers. Clinical Trial Registration number: ClinicalTrials.gov: NCT03933462.