FAQ

What does the "2Tone Inhaler Trainer" do?

2Tone is a training aid to help inhaler users get the maximum benefit from their medication.

2Tone mimics what it is like to inhale through a pMDI (a pressurised Metered Dose Inhaler), and provides audible feedback on how fast air is being inhaled. With a shape and feel similar to a real inhaler, 2Tone lets you imagine you are using your own pMDI, and allows you to practice your technique.

People trying 2Tone for the first time quickly learn whether they are inhaling too fast, or too slow, by listening to the sound that the 2Tone makes when they breathe in. There is a different sound depending on whether the speed is too fast, too slow, or just right.

By practising with a 2Tone, it is possible to learn to always breathe in at the right speed, so that when the real inhaler is needed, the maximum benefit is obtained. Once good technique has been learnt, periodic use of 2Tone will act as a reminder of how you should inhale through a pMDI to get maximum benefit.

How does "2Tone Inhaler Trainer" improve technique?

2Tone works by providing feedback on how fast air is being inhaled.

For inhaled medication to work well, it needs to reach some of the deepest parts of the lungs. Unfortunately, if you inhale in the wrong way, less of the medication can reach the parts where it is needed most.

2Tone improves technique in 2 key ways:

1) Slows down your inhalation - by helping the user learn to inhale slowly, the cloud of medication can more readily follow the bends and turns in the airways. Slow inhalation, at an inspiratory flow of between 30 and 60 litres per minute, has been shown to increase the amount of drug reaching the lungs, reduce the amount of drug being left in the mouth and throat, and improve the quality of life for patients.

2) Coordination - provided the user inhales fully, a slow deep inhalation will take longer to complete than a fast inhalation, and therefore, the user will always have more time to press the canister in the middle of their inhalation.

How should I use the "2Tone Inhaler Trainer"?

2Tone Trainers can be used in the Doctor's office, in Clinic, and also at home. Users should imagine they are using their real inhaler, and follow all the steps recommended for good inhaler technique.

Inhaling through a 2Tone will produce one of the three sounds, and by changing how much effort you put into inhaling, you can change the sound the 2Tone makes.

When you first use a 2Tone, you may need to spend several minutes learning how to control your breathing in, so that it becomes slow and deep. Once you have mastered inhaling in a way that produces the single "tone", then try to remember to inhale in this way every time you use your real inhaler.

Practising your inhaler technique regularly – for example, once a week – will ensure you don’t forget how to breathe in at the right speed when you next need to use your real inhaler.

How does "2Tone Inhaler Trainer" make different sounds?

The lower "tone" triggers when air moving through the trainer reaches approx 30 l/min or more. Only when airflow is greater than 60 L/min, does the second "tone" start.

Inside the 2Tone is a pair of very sensitive reeds, that only vibrate when air flows through them above a certain pre-set, speed. When the reeds vibrate, they make a noise (or a "tone").

The patented-design uses two reeds - one set to trigger at the minimum flow for good use of a pMDI, the second set at the maximum. The two reeds have different sounds (each is set to a different "pitch") - the minimum flow reed has a low pitch, and the maximum flow reed has a higher pitch.

How and how often should the 2Tone Trainer be cleaned?

The 2Tone Trainer should be cleaned at least once a month.

Immerse your 2Tone in warm (but not hot) mild detergent solution for 2-3 minutes, but for no longer than 5 minutes. Agitate the 2Tone in the water to ensure thorough cleaning.

Do not insert any object into the 2Tone during cleaning, as damage to the mechanism may occur. The external surfaces of the device can be wiped with a cloth, if required.

Rinse thoroughly in clean warm water, and then shake repeatedly to remove any excess water from the inside of the unit.

Allow to dry naturally before using again.

Can I lend my 2Tone Trainer to a friend?

We wouldn’t recommend it, for hygiene reasons – 2Tone Trainers have been developed for use as “single-patient” devices, to avoid the
risk of anything being passed between users.

Is the 2Tone Trainer useful for people who use “dry powder” inhalers (e.g. Accuhaler, Turbohaler, HandiHaler, Novolizer)?

No – it has been designed specifically for users of “metered dose inhalers” – the ones that “spray” a dose of medication when you press the canister. In the U.K., about 65-75% of all inhalers are “metered dose inhalers”.

If you do use a dry powder inhaler (e.g. Accuhaler, Turbohaler, HandiHaler, Novolizer), you should be inhaling “forcefully and deeply, or strong and hard”, to get the most benefit from your particular type of inhaler.

I use a type of MDI called an Easibreathe / Autohaler – can 2tone help me?

Yes – even if you use a breath-operated MDI (one that automatically fires when you breath in through it), you can benefit from using 2Tone, because it will help you learn to avoid inhaling too fast.

The EasiBreathe and Autohaler inhalers release their medication dose at low flow rates (20 l/min for EasiBreathe, 30 L/min for Autohaler), so learning to get the right speed with a 2Tone won’t stop you from being able to use these two inhalers. However, the same benefits that ordinary MDI users get (more dose going to the lungs, less getting stuck in the mouth and throat on the way down) when you breathe in at the right speed will be gained.

I use a new “soft-mist” inhaler called a Respimat - can 2Tone help me?

Yes – patients using this new inhaler (used to deliver a drug to treat COPD) should be instructed to inhale slowly and deeply, just like pMDI users. Whilst the 2Tone and the Respimat devices look very different, the 2Tone can still help Respimat users to remember to breathe in slowly.

Breathing in too fast with a Respimat device risks more medication hitting the back of the throat (and increased risk of side-effects), and less getting to the lungs (so less chance of clinical benefit); as this inhaler produces a mist of 1.5 seconds, people should be inhaling for the whole time – which is a long, slow inhalation – exactly the technique the 2Tone can help you master.

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Email: info@mcs-creative.co.uk

Last update: 27th February 2008