Respiratory Devices

• Managing a Croup Attack

  Learn how to use home treatment to stop a cough from croup.

• Using Vaporizers and Humidifiers

  Vaporizers and humidifiers help moisten the mouth and throat when breathing the dry, heated indoor air of the winter months. The mist from a humidifier may be preferred because of the risk of burns from steam vaporizers. Keep vaporizers and...

• Breathing Exercises: Using a Manual Incentive Spirometer

  Breathing can be hard after you've had surgery, when you have a lung disease like COPD, or if you're on bed rest. You may find that you can only take small, shallow breaths. Breathing this way makes it harder to get air into your lungs and can cause fluid and mucus to build up in your lungs. This could cause a serious...

• How to Use an Incentive Spirometer

  Learn how to use an incentive spirometer to improve the health of your lungs.

• Your Corticosteroid Inhaler: Making It Easier to Breathe

  Learn why you need to keep using your corticosteroid inhaler and how to make it easier to use.

• Nebulizer for COPD Treatment

  A nebulizer is a tool that delivers liquid medicine as a fine mist. You breathe in the medicine through a mouthpiece or face mask. This sends the medicine directly to your airways and lungs. Depending on your needs, you can get a small, portable...

• COPD: How to Use a Nebulizer

  Learn how to use a nebulizer correctly.

• Asthma: Helping a Young Child Take Medicine

  Learn ways to encourage your young child to take asthma medicine with a nebulizer.

• How to Use a Nebulizer With a Mask

  Learn how to use a nebulizer, with a face mask, on your child.

• Nebulizer for Asthma Treatment

  A nebulizer is a device used to deliver liquid medicine in the form of a fine mist (aerosol). It is sometimes used for asthma because: The medicine can be given over a longer period of time. It may be easier to use for small children or for people...

• Asthma: Ways to Take Inhaled Medicines

  When you use inhaled asthma medicine, you usually use a device that delivers the medicine directly to your lungs. Different types of delivery systems are available. And one type may be more suitable for certain people, age groups, or medicine than another. The following table describes how asthma medicines may be...

• Sleep Apnea: How Is It Treated?

  Learn about treatment choices for sleep apnea.

• Sleep Apnea: Oral Devices

  Oral devices (also called oral appliances) are sometimes used to treat obstructive sleep apnea (OSA). They push the tongue and jaw forward, which makes the airway larger and improves airflow. This also reduces the chance that tissue will collapse...

• Oral Breathing Devices for Snoring

  Several oral devices have been tested to treat people with snoring, including a tongue-retaining device that is worn while sleeping. It pushes the tongue and jaw forward, improving airflow. Changing the position of the lower jaw enlarges the airway and decreases the chance that it will collapse when you inhale. This may...

• Checking Peak Flow

  Learn how to use a peak flow meter to check how well your lungs are working.

• Asthma: Measuring Peak Flow

  As someone with asthma, you know how important it is to monitor your condition. Your doctor may want you to know how well your lungs are "working." Is their ability to move air in and out staying the same, or is it getting better or worse? When you monitor your asthma, you can control it. When you control your asthma...

• Asthma: Peak Expiratory Flow and Personal Best

  Peak expiratory flow (PEF) measures how much air you or your child can breathe out using the greatest effort. It is used in the monitoring and treatment of asthma to determine how well your lungs are functioning. Your peak flow drops when the tubes...