First-Line Therapy for Adult Patients with Acute Asthma Receiving a Multiple - Dose Protocol of Ipratropium Bromide Plus Albuterol in the Emergency Department

摘要

We designed a larger, double - blind, randomized, prospective trial to test our hypothesis that patients with acute asthma given com - bination high dose therapy with ipratropium bromide (IB) and β_2 agonists will have greater improvement in pulmonary function and fewer hospital admissions than those given β_2-agonists alone. One hundred eighty patients (mean age ± SD, 34.3 ± 10.5 yr) Who presented to an emergency department (ED) for treatment Of an exacerbation of asthma (baseline FEV_1 < 50/100 of predicted) Were assigned in a randomized, double - blind fashion to receive al - Buterol and placebo (n = 92) or albuterol and IB (n = 88).