The invention relates to a small-volume nebulizer that ispre-filled with at least one unit- dose of medicine and hermetically sealeduntil use.The nebulizer may be sealed at the top with a removable cap that may bedetachedat the time of use and replaced with a patient connector. Likewise, thenebulizermay be scaled at the bottom with a bottom cap that is replaced with a gassourceat the beginning of a therapeutic aerosol treatment.