Nebulizer
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In medicine, a nebulizer is a device used to administer medication to people in forms of a liquid mist to the airways. It is thus used in treating respiratory diseases.
Also called "atomizers", they pump air or oxygen through a liquid medicine to turn it into a vapor, which is then inhaled by the patient.
As a general rule, doctors generally prefer to prescribe inhalers for their patients, not only because these are cheaper and more portable, but are often less potent and carry less risk of side-effects. Nebulizers, for that reason, are usually reserved only for serious cases of respiratory disease, or severe attacks.
Use and Attachments
Nebulizers usually accept their medicine in the form of a concentrated liquid, sometimes viscous. These medicines are frequently steroids, and the reason they are inhaled instead of digested is to limit their effect to the lungs/respiratory system only. Otherwise, that amount of steroid saturated throughout the body would be toxic. This liquid is loaded into the machine for use.
Usually, the vaporized medicine is inhaled through a tube like mouth piece, similar to that of an inhaler. This has the added benefit of increasing portability, as well as allowing surrounding air to mix with the medicine, decreasing the unpleasantness of the vapor. The inhaling apparatus, however, is sometimes replaced with a standard rubber face mask, similar to that use for inhaled anesthesia, for ease of use with young children or the elderly.