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Study calls for dose counters

Respiratory Care Weekly, August 2, 2006

A study in the August Annals of Allergy, Asthma & Immunology addresses an issue RTs have been advocating for years: Getting drug companies to incorporate dose counters on all asthma inhalers. Many inhalers still do not include the counters, which show when an inhaler is out of medicine so the patient doesn't have to learn in the midst of an attack.

Of 500 asthmatics surveyed by the Allergy & Asthma Network Mothers of Asthmatics in Fairfax, VA, 342 said they used inhalers, and about one-quarter of them said they considered them empty when nothing came out, which is wrong because the medicine often runs out before the propellant. Seven needed to call 911 during an attack because they were unaware their inhalers had run out until it was too late, according to the Annals.

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