Investigating the relationship between peak inspiratory flow rate and volume of inhalation from a Diskus™ Inhaler and baseline spirometric parameters: a cross-sectional study.

Drug delivery from a Dry Powder Inhaler (DPI) is dependent on the peak inspiratory flow rate (PIFR) generated. Currently available methods for estimating PIFR from most DPIs are limited and mainly rely on subjective assessment. We aim to show that spirometric and Diskus™ PIFR and Inspiratory Vital Capacity (IVC) are related to the underlying respiratory condition and that spirometric PIFR can be used to assess whether Diskus™ PIFR will be adequate when using this DPI.

The acoustic features of inhalation can be used to quantify aerosol delivery from a Diskus™ dry powder inhaler.

Purpose: Some patients are unable to generate the peak inspiratory flow rate (PIFR) necessary to de-agglomerate drug particles from dry powder inhalers (DPIs). In this study we tested the hypothesis that the acoustic parameters of an inhalation are related to the PIFR and hence reflect drug delivery.

Methods: A sensitivity analysis of the relationship of the acoustics of inhalation to simultaneously recorded airflow, in a cohort of volunteers (n = 92) was performed.