Evidence map›Paper›PMID 9491830›Full record

Trial reportBritish journal of clinical pharmacology1998

Lung delivery of non-CFC salbutamol via small volume metal spacer and large volume plastic spacer devices compared with an open vent jet nebulizer.

B J Lipworth, D J Clark

Open access · bronzeAbstract readClinical TrialComparative StudyRandomized Controlled Trial
In one paragraph

Trial report in British journal of clinical pharmacology, 1998. The graph could read no effect estimate from its abstract, so it casts no vote on the map. Cited by 8 papers.

0numbers the graph read from it
0cells of the map it votes in
8citing papers in PubMed
3.4field-weighted citation impact, top 8% of its field
1 · What the graph read from it

What it found

Each row is one number read from the abstract, on the scale the paper reported it, with its interval. Left of the dashed line favours the treatment, right favours the comparator. Under each row is the sentence it came from. New to these charts? A ten-minute tutorial.

The abstract states no effect estimate the extractor could read, or names no intervention and outcome on the map, so this paper lights no cell and moves no belief. It is still indexed, cited and linked below.

2 · The registry

The trial behind it

Trials whose registry record cites this paper, or whose number appears in the abstract. A trial that started after this paper was published is citing it as background, not reporting it.

Neither the registry nor the abstract names a trial number. If this is a trial report, that itself is worth knowing.

3 · Its place in the literature

Who cites it

8 citing papers in PubMed, 26 citations in OpenAlex.

  1. Trial
  2. Trial
  3. Trial
  4. Trial
  5. Trial
  6. Spacers and Valved Holding Chambers.Journal of aerosol medicine and pulmonary drug delivery · 2025
    Review
  7. Methods to identify drug deposition in the lungs following inhalation.British journal of clinical pharmacology · 2001
    Review
  8. Review
4 · The record

Corrections and comments

PubMed lists nothing against this paper. Absence here is not a guarantee, only a check that was made.

5 · Who and what money

Authors and funding

2 authors at 2 institutions in 1 country.

B J LipworthDepartment of Clinical Pharmacology and Therapeutics, Ninewells Hospital & Medical School, University of Dundee.
D J Clark
Ninewells Hospital · GBUniversity of Dundee · GB

Funding

No grant is acknowledged in the PubMed record.

6 · The paper itself

Abstract

aimsTo compare the lung delivery of salbutamol from a commonly used constant output open vent jet nebuliser (Sidestream) with use of both a conventional large volume plastic spacer (Volumatic) and a novel small volume metal spacer (NebuChamber). This was assessed using the early lung absorption profile of salbutamol over the first 20 min after inhalation.

methodsTwelve healthy volunteers were studied in a randomized single (investigator) blind crossover design. Single 1200 microg nominal doses salbutamol from a CFC-free metered-dose inhaler (12 sequential 100 microg puffs of Airomir) were delivered via the Volumatic and NebuChamber spacers. A single 1200 microg nominal dose of salbutamol was given as a 4 ml fill volume from a Sidestream nebuliser with mouthpiece. Mouth rinsing was performed after each drug sequence. Plasma salbutamol was measured at 5, 10, 15 and 20 min after the last dose of each inhalation sequence, with calculation of maximal concentration (Cmax) and average concentration over 20 min (C[av]). Systemic beta2-responses were measured as plasma potassium, tremor and heart rate.

resultsBoth the Volumatic and the NebuChamber spacers produced significantly greater salbutamol concentration than the Sidestream nebuliser. For C(av) this amounted to a 7.34-fold difference (95%CI 5.31 to 9.38) between Volumatic vs Sidestream, and a 7.04-fold difference (95%CI 4.91 to 9.17) for NebuChamber vs Sidestream. Similar differences were found for the extrapulmonary beta2-responses. There were no significant differences in either salbutamol concentration or extrapulmonary beta2-responses between the Volumatic and NebuChamber spacers.

conclusionsWe found that, in vivo, both the Volumatic and the NebuChamber spacers produced seven-fold greater lung delivery of salbutamol than the Sidestream nebuliser when comparing microgram equivalent nominal doses, in terms of the early lung absorption profile.

Indexed as

Drug Delivery SystemsNebulizers and VaporizersAdministration, InhalationAdrenergic beta-AgonistsAdultAlbuterolChlorofluorocarbonsCross-Over StudiesHeart RateHumansLungLung Volume MeasurementsPotassiumSingle-Blind MethodTremorAdrenergic beta-AgonistsAlbuterolChlorofluorocarbonsPotassium

Identifiers

PMID9491830
PMCPMC1873359
OpenAlexW2063343848

What OpenQuestion holds

Textmetadata
Read underepoch 390

Registered trials

None linked

Read under generation 80e0d062 · epoch 390. Bibliography from PubMed, PubMed Central and OpenAlex; grants from NIH RePORTER; trial links from ClinicalTrials.gov; estimates, votes and beliefs from the OpenQuestion graph.