One way to dispense liquid medication is through the use of a nebulizer, which vaporizes the liquid and allows it to be inhaled easily. An air compressor allows the drug to change physical state so that it may be inhaled through a mask worn around the face. Lidocaine, a local anesthetic, is one medication that can be inhaled to provide relief to the respiratory system, including the mouth, throat, and nose. Nebulized lidocaine has been successfully used by doctors for a variety of applications and treatments.
Acute asthma is one medical condition that may be treated with nebulized lidocaine instead of conventional measured-dose inhalers or oral tablets used for preventative purposes, both of which can have unpleasant side effects. Patients with asthma that inhale the lidocaine through a mask feel a relief of symptoms that occurs rapidly. The use of medications called corticosteroids, which are swallowed to treat the same symptoms, can often be decreased if the patient uses a nebulizer on a regular basis for asthma attacks.
One of the main uses for nebulized lidocaine that has been approved by medical professional bodies in many countries is for local anesthesia. This type of local anesthesia is meant for the throat prior to certain medical procedures such as brachoscopies. During a bronchoscopy, a tube is inserted down the throat via either the nose or throat, which is uncomfortable for many patients. Lidocaine's numbing action allows tubes to be placed much farther into the patient's throat with little to no discomfort, allowing doctors to better view the inside of a person's lungs.
Physicians have found other unique uses for nebulized lidocaine as well. Respiratory reflexes such as coughing and bronchospasm can be successfully reduced through the use of this drug. Doses of lidocaine may be much lower than when other routes are used, meaning that side effects are minimized. In turn, this anesthetic becomes tolerated much better by patients, with very few complaining of unpleasant side effects in the recorded studies.
Nasogastric tube insertion is another procedure that can be performed in conjunction with anesthesia from nebulized lidocaine. This procedure involves a tube stuck through the nose into the stomach to drain its contents in emergency situations, such as poisoning. Emergency medicine personnel that have given the patient this form of the medication beforehand report that patients can tolerate the uncomfortable procedure for much longer, allowing more potentially dangerous contents from the stomach to be removed.