Definition:
A dry powder inhaler, or DPI, is a type of inhaler device for administering asthma medicine. While your dry powder inhaler may look similar to your metered dose inhaler, it operates quite differently.
In a dry powder inhaler, the asthma medication is in powder form as opposed to liquid form. Because of this, a dry powder inhaler does not need an aerosol propellant to drive the medication into your lung. With a dry powder inhaler, the force of your inhalation is used to get medication into your lungs. A disadvantage of this is that children and people with acute asthma symptoms may not be able to generate sufficient force to get the medication into their lungs.
Also Known As: DPI
