Children up to 3 years of age cannot use a mouthpiece, so treatment with a spacer should be given with a face mask1. Leaks around the face mask can result in decrease medication being inhaled3. To prevent leaks, you may need to hold the face mask on your child's face tightly. This causes the child to cry and fuss during the treatment. Crying causes more of their medication to be inhaled into the stomach and less in the lungs where it is needed. Philips LiteTouch mask with its soft sculpted patient mask seal requires less pressure to contour to patient’s facial landscape - making it easy to fit with less discomfort, especially for small children than conventional VHC masks2. Also select a low volume chamber (less then 350 mL) like the OptiChamber Diamond. The larger chambers require more breaths and more time to get all the medication from a single dose4. This LiteTouch mask and a low volume spacer such as the OptiChamber Diamond may help you deliver the medication quickly and comfortably to your child.
References:
[1] Global Initiative for Asthma(GINA). Global strategy for asthma management and prevention. ginasthma.org updated Dec 2010. Accessed 13 January 2016.
[2] Tong, K. et al. An Instrumented Valved Holding Chamber with facemask to measure application forces and flow in young asthmatic children. Journal of Aerosol Med and Pulm Drug Del. 2014; 27 (Suppl 1): S55-62.
[3] Erzinger, S. et al. Facemasks and aerosol delivery in vivo. Journal Aerosol Medicine 2007; 20 (Suppl 1):S78-S84
[4] Nikander, K. The evolution of spacers and Valved Holding Chambers. Journal of Aerosol Med and Pulm Drug Del. 2014; 27 (Suppl 1): S4-24.