A multi-center, double-blind, 90-day study compared an ipratropium bromide metered-dose inhaler (40 microgram four times a day) with a metaproterenol metered-dose inhaler (1,500 micrograms four times a day) in 164 patients with asthma; of the 144 patients who completed the study, 71 received ipratropium and 73 received metaproterenol. Our results suggest that both drugs were equally effective b...

BACKGROUND Although phosphodiesterase 4 inhibitors and the volatile anesthetic sevoflurane are known to have independent bronchodilator properties, the combined administration of these two agents may have the potential to exert an additive or synergistic bronchodilator effect. The authors tested this hypothesis and investigated the common site of this combined relaxation effect in a model of ai...

Inhaled drugs are deposited directly in the respiratory tract. They therefore achieve higher concentrations with faster onset of action and fewer side effects than when used systemically. Nebulized drugs are mainly recommended for patients that require high doses of bronchodilators, when they need to inhale drugs that only exist in this form (antibiotics or dornase alfa) or when they are unable...

Spirometry in health checkup may contribute to early diagnosis of chronic obstructive pulmonary disease (COPD) and asthma. Although post-bronchodilator airflow limitation is essential for definite diagnosis of COPD and post-bronchodilator normalization of airflow is suggestive of asthma, this test has not been prevailed in health checkup. The objective of this study was to estimate the prevalen...

BACKGROUND The utilization of respiratory therapist (RT) driven protocols for single interventions, such as oxygen titration and bronchopulmonary hygiene, and protocols consisting of multiple interventions have been associated with improvements in resource utilization. Based on this, we started a quality improvement project to transition the delivery of respiratory care services from physician-...

a randomized, double-blind, crossover trial was designed to compare the acute effects of combivent and salbutamol on spirometric parameters in patients with moderate to severe asthma. nineteen patients with a mean baseline forced expiratory volume in 1 sec. (fev]) less than 65% predicted, were randomized on two separate days to receive two puffs of salbutamol (200 µg) or two puffs of combivent ...

OBJECTIVES To determine the variation in the methods used to assess and interpret the reversibility of airflow limitation in lung-function laboratories throughout Australia and New Zealand. DESIGN A postal survey performed in 2000, requesting details of methods used to assess and interpret bronchodilator reversibility. SETTING AND PARTICIPANTS 60 lung-function laboratories identified from t...

Bronchodilator and bronchoconstrictor responsiveness have been considered physiological opposites in patients with obstructive airways disease. Provocation challenges have been replaced by bronchodilator tests in the assessment of cases of severe airways obstruction. The aim of this study was to examine the relationship between bronchoconstrictor and bronchodilator responsiveness, and their sup...

The bronchodilator and cardiovascular activity of isoproterenol hydrochloride (Isuprel) 5.0 mg, Salbutamol 5.0 and 2.5 mg and saline administered by IPPB to 30 patients with chronic bronchial asthma were determined and compared. Equal doses of isoproterenol and Salbutamol had similar peak bronchodilator effect, but the peak effect was reached much earlier with isoproterenoL Salbutamol bad longe...