Dr. Shao Chi Huang, both a pediatrician and co-founder of HCmed Innovations, this month shares his experience working in the clinical field. When asked about his thoughts on nebulizers and inhalers, Dr. Huang mentioned, “With just one nebulizer in hand, patients are able to nebulize different kinds of inhaled medications, overcoming the inconvenience of preparing different inhalers for different drugs. On top of that, these small and light-weighted devices are easy to actuate and use. Unlike inhalers, which require users to hold their breath or coordinate with their hands when breathing, nebulizers allow users to breathe normally during treatment.”
1. Why did you choose to specialize in pediatrics? Please share your experience in becoming a pediatrician.
I have always been a curious person ever since I was a kid, prompting me to ask a lot of questions and learn more about my surroundings. I was especially interested in the human’s anatomy and physiology. “How do our eyes work?” “Why can we hear?” “Why does our heart beat?” Even when I went to the doctor as a kid, I would ask the doctor why we have fevers and why we cough. As the doctors answer my questions patiently, they would also treat my symptoms. All of this encouraged me to become a doctor that could also help other people. After I graduated from medical school, I chose to specialize in pediatrics as I enjoy being around kids, which I believe is the main reason why most pediatricians would choose this medical specialty. One may have different reasons why they love kids. As for me, I enjoy the innocence and pureness of children, who are able to provide me with the truest feedback and make me feel that I can communicate with them more easily.
2. From years of clinical experience, what have you observed to be the trends in the prevalence of respiratory diseases in Taiwan and other parts of the world?
Due to air pollution, climate change, and an increase in population density, new kinds of respiratory pathogens have appeared. I believe that in Taiwan and other parts of the world, many different respiratory diseases, such as allergic rhinitis, asthma, upper respiratory infections, bronchitis, pneumonia and even lung cancer, will be on a rising trend. The increasing variety and severity of respiratory diseases have become an important public health issue. Besides promoting energy-saving actions and a healthy lifestyle, it is also an urgent task to provide convenient and efficient ways of delivering medications for people in need of inhalation treatments, with the aim of reaching better disease control and improvement of life quality.
3. What prompted you to co-found HCmed in the first place?
As a group of young people with the same vision and mission, we founded HCmed with the goal of providing better options for inhalation treatment, aiming to create a device that is more efficient and convenient to use. With this goal in mind, we worked together to optimize the devices and solved the problems that we encountered, hoping to provide a high-quality vibrating mesh nebulizer that can help patients relieve their symptoms and have better control over their respiratory conditions.
4. From a medical perspective, what is the advantage of using nebulizers over inhalers?
Compared to inhalers, using nebulizers provides several benefits. Nebulizers can be used with a wide variety of medications, including solutions, suspensions and even high-viscosity drugs. With just one nebulizer in hand, patients are able to nebulize different kinds of inhaled medications, overcoming the inconvenience of preparing different inhalers for different drugs. Not only can nebulizers be utilized with drugs, but nebulizing saline solutions can also help users get rid of excess mucus and phlegm. The mist generated by nebulizers can help thin the mucus in our lungs, facilitating patients to cough it out. The aerosol generated from the device can also help moisturize our pharynx and larynx, preventing coughing when the throat is too dry or itchy. On top of all, these small and light-weighted devices are easy to actuate and use. Unlike inhalers, which require users to hold their breath or coordinate with their hands when inhaling, nebulizers allow users to breathe normally during treatment. Moreover, nebulizers do not require patients to use an AeroChamber, which is an additional accessory often used with inhalers to help increase the delivery of medicine to patients’ lungs. Overall, using a nebulizer allows users to breathe in a relaxed manner, providing an effective and comfortable way to deliver medication to our lungs.
