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Fig. 1 | Respiratory Research

Fig. 1

From: Aerosol drug delivery to spontaneously-breathing preterm neonates: lessons learned

Fig. 1

Differences in the anatomy of the pharynx and larynx of an adult (left) and an infant (right) and their effect on the pathway of aerosol particles (represented by pink dots). Premature infants receive nebulization while lying in a cot or in an incubator (upper panel) whereas nebulization is normally administered to adults with the patient in a seated or erect position (lower panel). Thus, the anatomical differences between adult and neonate are compared for a lying down position in Fig. 1. This graphic highlights the main differences that make the pathway of aerosol particles more curvy in premature infants, potentially reducing the effective delivery of nebulized substance to the lungs.

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