Cardiac effects of salbutamol given by air driven nebuliser at home.

Concern has been expressed about the increasing use of nebulised bronchodilators at home by patients with airflow obstruction.1 Both angina2 and supraventricular tachycardia3 have been reported in patients during such treatment in hospital, where nebulisation is usually achieved with oxygen. No data have been available, however, on the cardiac effects of bronchodilators delivered by air driven nebulisers in the home environment. We have therefore performed domiciliary 24 hour electrocardiographic (ECG) monitoring on all of our patients who use nebulisers in this way to assess any adverse effects on heart rhythm or the ST segments of the ECG.