Aerosol actuator having a linearly arranged canister receiving cavity, valve stem receptacle, orifice, and deagglomeration chamber
AssigneeMinnesota Mining and Manufacturing Company
InventorConstantinos Sioutas
Life of this patent
Estimating the term…
Abstract
An actuator for use in inhalation therapy comprising a nozzle .block having an orifice and at least one bleed hole, a deagglomeration chamber, and an exit chamber, together configured as a means for increasing the respirable fraction of an aerosol formulation. This invention also provides an actuator as described above in combination with an aerosol canister comprising a pharmaceutical formulation, and a method of administering a pharmaceutical formulation via inhalation therapy. The actuator finds particular use in improving the respirable fraction of drug in aerosol formulations. The actuator also retains non-respirable particles, thus reducing the amount of drug that is inadvertently administered orally.
Claims1
An actuator having a housing comprising a section defining a cavity adapted to receive an aerosol canister having a hollow valve stem, comprising:
- a nozzle block having walls defining a valve stem receptacle having a socket for receiving the hollow valve stem of the aerosol canister, the socket having walls defining an orifice having a longitudinal axis through the nozzle block;
- walls defining a deagglomeration chamber in open communication with the orifice;
- at least one bleed hole in open communication with the deagglomeration chamber;
- and
- walls defining an exit chamber in open communication with the deagglomeration chamber and having a longitudinal axis,
- wherein:
- the orifice is in open communication along its axis with the deagglomeration chamber and the cavity;
- and
- the cross-sectional area of the exit chamber in the plane normal to its axis is less than the greatest cross-sectional area of the deagglomeration chamber in the plane normal to the axis of the orifice;
- wherein respirable particles, resulting from discharge of an aerosol canister containing an aerosol formulation through the orifice, remain suspended in the deagglomeration chamber for a time sufficient to allow a patient to inhale the formulation after discharge of the canister.
Dependencies are inferred from the claim text.