An AeroChamber Plus is a tube-shaped medical device that attaches to a metered-dose inhaler (MDI) to help more medication reach your lungs. Officially classified as an anti-static valved holding chamber, it’s made by Trudell Medical and is one of the most commonly prescribed spacer devices for asthma and COPD.
Without a spacer, using an inhaler requires precise timing. You have to press the canister and breathe in at exactly the right moment, and even with good technique, a large portion of the medication ends up hitting the back of your throat instead of traveling deep into your airways. The AeroChamber Plus solves this by holding the medication in a chamber long enough for you to inhale it at your own pace.
How It Works
When you press your inhaler into the AeroChamber Plus, the medication sprays into the chamber rather than directly into your mouth. The fine drug particles stay suspended inside the tube for more than 10 seconds, giving you time to take one or more slow breaths to pull the medication into your lungs. This eliminates the need to perfectly coordinate pressing the inhaler with breathing in, which is the single biggest challenge people face with standard inhalers.
A one-way valve at the mouthpiece opens when you breathe in and closes when you breathe out. This keeps medication trapped in the chamber between breaths and prevents you from accidentally blowing it away. For small children or anyone with lower lung capacity, this design allows multiple breaths to empty the full dose from the chamber.
The Anti-Static Material
The “Plus” in AeroChamber Plus refers partly to its anti-static construction. Older plastic spacers build up static electricity on their inner walls, which attracts drug particles the way a staticky balloon picks up hair. This pulls medication out of the air inside the chamber and sticks it to the plastic, reducing the amount that actually reaches your lungs.
Standard plastic spacers need to be washed with dish soap (without rinsing) and air-dried before first use to reduce this static charge, and even then, it can rebuild over time. The AeroChamber Plus uses charge-dissipative materials that avoid this problem entirely. You can use it straight out of the package with no priming or pre-washing. Studies have confirmed that reducing electrostatic charge increases the amount of drug delivered, and the AeroChamber Plus has been associated with lower rates of flare-ups and delayed time to first flare-up compared to non-anti-static spacers.
The Flow-Vu Indicator
Most current versions are labeled “AeroChamber Plus Flow-Vu,” referring to a small visual indicator built into the device. This is a simple moving tab that shifts when air flows through the chamber. It serves three purposes: it confirms that you activated the inhaler while breathing in, it shows whether a face mask (on pediatric models) is sealed properly against the face, and it lets a parent or caregiver count breaths for young children who need multiple inhalations to get the full dose. If the indicator isn’t moving, something is wrong with the seal or the breathing pattern.
Color-Coded Sizes
The AeroChamber Plus comes in three color-coded versions based on age:
- Orange (infant): for babies under 1 year old, with a small face mask
- Yellow (child): for children ages 1 to 10, with a larger face mask
- Blue (adult): for anyone over 10, with a mouthpiece instead of a mask
The infant and child versions use soft face masks because young children can’t form a reliable seal around a mouthpiece. The masks fit snugly over the nose and mouth so the child can breathe normally through the chamber. The adult version has a standard mouthpiece that you place between your teeth and close your lips around.
How to Use It
The basic technique for the adult mouthpiece version follows a straightforward sequence. Shake your inhaler well and insert it into the back of the chamber. Place the mouthpiece in your mouth and close your lips around it. Press the inhaler once to release a single puff into the chamber. Breathe in slowly and deeply through the mouthpiece. Hold your breath for up to ten seconds, then remove the mouthpiece and breathe normally.
If your prescription calls for more than one puff, shake the inhaler again and repeat the full sequence. Never spray multiple puffs into the chamber at once, as this doesn’t deliver more medication and can actually reduce what reaches your lungs. One press, one inhalation cycle.
For young children using a mask version, a caregiver holds the mask firmly against the child’s face and watches the Flow-Vu indicator to count breaths. Children with smaller lungs typically need four to six tidal breaths (normal, relaxed breathing) to empty the chamber after a single puff.
Clinical Performance
A randomized study in COPD patients compared using a combination bronchodilator inhaler with and without the AeroChamber Plus. Lung function over 12 hours was essentially identical in both groups, with the spacer group showing 101.4% of the effect seen without the spacer. This is the key takeaway: for patients with good inhaler technique, the AeroChamber Plus delivers the same clinical effect. Its real advantage is consistency. It removes the technique variable, so you get reliable dosing whether or not your coordination is perfect on any given day.
The device is particularly valuable for children, older adults, and anyone during an asthma attack, when the ability to coordinate a press-and-breathe maneuver drops significantly.
Care and Replacement
The AeroChamber Plus should be replaced after 12 months of use, per FDA clearance documentation. Between replacements, clean it by soaking in warm water with mild dish soap, gently swishing it, and letting it air dry completely. Don’t wipe the inside with a cloth or towel, as this can create static charge on the surface even with anti-static materials. Check the valve regularly by breathing in and out through the mouthpiece. You should feel airflow in one direction only. If the valve sticks, feels loose, or the chamber is cracked, replace the device immediately rather than waiting for the 12-month mark.