A COMPARISON OF THREE METHODS OF
BRONCHODILATOR INHALATION IN
BRONCHIAL ASTHMA
By
Abd Al Hamid Al Helaly, MO; Amr Badr El Din Hamdy, MO; Medhat Fahmy Negm, MO; Ahmad Al Gazar, MD. and Yehia Saddik, MD*
Chest and Internal Medicine* Departments, Benha Faculty of Medicine
ABSTRACT
This study was conducted on thirty patients with bronchial asthma to compare the effectiveness of delivery of the beta 2 agonist (Salbutamol) by the metered-dose inhaler in these patients. The patients were further subdivided into two groups, 13 with a mean FEVj less than one liter, and 17 with mean FEVT more than one liter. The results showed that both the nebuhaler and the nebulizer are more effective than the metered-dose inhaler in delivery of bronchodilator. The nebuhaler is of the same effectiveness as the nebulizer in patients with FEVT more than one liter. The nebulizer is more effective than both metered-dose inhaler and the nebuhaler in severe airway obstruction (FEV1 less than one liter). The percentage of improvement of forced expiratory flow 25-75% (FEF 25-75%) after salbutamol inhalation correlated well with the clinical improvement and can be taken as a guide for the degree of improvement after bronchodilator inhalation.