Better Breathing

Arzu Ari discovers ways to improve delivery of aerosol medications

Aru Arzi's lab, one of the world's best for respiratory research, is making a direct impact on the health of patients with lung disease.

We can live for a few days without water and for a few more days without food. But breathing is a moment-by-moment requirement for life, and in an emergency, seconds matter.

Life-saving respiratory medications such as albuterol, delivered by aerosol, help make a difference on a global scale. Georgia State's Arzu Ari, associate professor in the Division of Respiratory Therapy, is on the front lines of making these medicines more effective.

She is working to improve the best practices of aerosol drug delivery in one of the world's top respiratory research labs, here at GSU.

"The expansion of our knowledge in aerosols in medicine has been noticeable in the last few decades," Ari said. "With our lab, I'm able to conduct groundbreaking studies in the field, which has a direct impact on the health of patients with lung diseases like asthma, cystic fibrosis and chronic obstructive pulmonary disease in both the U.S. and abroad."

According to the World Health Organization, asthma affects 300 million people worldwide, while chronic obstructive pulmonary disorder - a disease that causes shortness of breath, a chronic cough and mucus - is estimated to affect 210 million people across the globe.

Aerosol medications help patients breathe better. They are often given through nebulizers - machines that deliver medications in the form of a mist; metered dose inhalers that deliver quick puffs of medicine; and dry powder inhalers that deliver powdered medication.

In critical care situations, aerosol medications are commonly given through interfaces such as masks or mouthpieces. Ari and her colleagues in the Division of Respiratory Therapy have found, however, that what works for adults in treatment doesn't work the same for children.

Small children often have trouble with the masks and mouthpieces used during therapy, Ari said. Seeking to address this problem, she and her GSU colleagues, adjunct professor Jim Fink and clinical assistant professor Meryl Sheard, discovered that using a high-flow nasal cannula - a device with a plastic tube that fits behind the ears and a set of prongs placed in the nostrils - is a good alternative for newborns, infants and children.

With her research being translated into standard practices in the respiratory field, Ari says, she's proud to be making a difference in lives of patients around the world.

"Now, high-flow nasal cannulas are being used for the delivery of the medications to children," she said. "Seeing colleagues around the world changing their practice based on what we found in our research is one of the biggest rewards of completing a project."