Penn-Century DP-4_4M - Manual (Page 2)

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Penn-Century Dry Powder Insufflator™ -DP-4 and DP-4M Key Features
The device twists apart into two halves: the Air
Intake and a Sample Chamber that is connected to
delivery tube. The device twists open at the center,
revealing a hole that is the Sample Chamber. This can be
gently filled manually (using a narrow spatula) with a
small amount of powdered material (from 1 to 5 mg).
The device is designed to deliver one dose at a
time. It is not intended to hold multiple doses. After it is
loaded, the two halves are reconnected. Until the device is
used, the powder sample is held securely inside the
Sample Chamber by a valve assembly that is specially
designed to prevent loss of the sample, exposure to moisture or contamination from the outside during handling
and activation of the device.
Puffs of air push the powder through the device. Small pulses or puffs of air are then administered to the
device using the 3 ml commercial air syringe provided, or, if desired, the Penn-Century Air Pump, which has a
spring-loaded thumb button and permits faster, more consistent administration of air pulses to insufflate the
powder (blow air through it) and carry it out the delivery tube of the device. The volume of the air puff produced
by the air syringe (up to 3ml) or Air Pump (up to 5ml) is adjustable, and must be set so that it does not exceed
the maximum lung capacity (tidal volume) of the animal to be used.
More than one pulse of air may be required to release 100% of the dose from the Sample Chamber.
The air pulse volume setting is determined by the maximum lung capacity or “tidal volume” of the animal to be
used.
A precision balance is required for working with the Dry Powder Insufflator™. Because the device is
very lightweight, it permits highly precise determination of the amount of dry powder sample that actually
reaches the lungs. The user must precisely weigh the device, before and after filling it and after administering
one pulse of air only, to verify how many pulses of air are needed to deliver 100% of the dose.
It works with a wide range of powders. Penn-Century Dry Powder Insufflators™ have been successfully
used with a wide range of pharmaceutical, biologic, radio-opaque and toxicological dry powder compounds. By
applying small pulses or puffs of air to the device, it is possible to administer a range of dry powder substances to
the lungs. The characteristics of the powder sample (particle size, etc.) are essentially unaffected by passage
through the device. Made of PEEK™ (polyether-etherketone) , plastic silicone valves and a stainless steel delivery
tube, the Model DP-4 is virtually indestructible chemically and is unaffected by temperatures normally
encountered in heat sterilization procedures.
Determining the optimal dose range
• Direct aerosol administration to the lungs with a Penn-Century intratrachael device permits far more
precise quantification of the delivered dose and far higher drug concentration than is possible with large
nebulizer systems for animals that mix drug with compressed air that is blown - at high momentum - at
the nose of the animal. The aerosol from the Dry Powder Insufflator™ is precisely quantifiable.
•
A review of literature citing Penn-Century devices indicates that they permit far more efficient
administration of very small doses, as well as the ability to deliver far larger doses volumes than would be
safe or possible, for example, using liquid droplet administration through a catheter or endotracheal
tube.