None listed
Conditions
Brief summary
Despite extensive standard practice of the use of salbutamol in the treatment of acute asthma exacerbations, it is unclear how much should be given. This ambiguity has led clinicians to often give more than required salbutamol doses due to a perceived better outcome with higher doses. This can lead to multiple unpleasant side effects and reduces the tolerability of the treatment amongst patient groups. We are carrying out a blinded randomised controlled trial to compare a higher dose against a lower dose of salbutamol in acute asthma presentations to the emergency department. We aim to compare several outcomes in both groups, including improvement in lung function, length of hospital stay, rates of admission to hospital and adverse events. This is a non-inferiority study and we hypothesise that there will be no difference in outcome in both groups.
Interventions
Sponsors
Study design
Eligibility
Inclusion criteria
• Doctor diagnosis of asthma • Age 18 to 65 years • Presentation to ED with a mild- moderate asthma exacerbation • PEF 50 to 75% of predicted • Concomitant asthma medication may include: none, ICS, ICS/LABA, theophylline, LTRA, oral steroids, sodium cromoglycate, nedocromil sodium
Exclusion criteria
• Inability to perform spirometry • Requirement for Non-invasive ventilation (NIV) or intubation • Diagnosis of Chronic Obstructive Pulmonary Disease (COPD)