title: [Duration of bronchodilator effect of inhaled Salmeterol (dry powder x metered dose inhaler) in children with acute asthma attack].
abstract: Patients during a mild to moderate acute attack of asthma (FEV1: 50 - 80% of predicted) were treated with Salmeterol MDI - 50mcg or Rotadisk - 50mcg or Salbutamol (MDI -200mcg). The children were followed by Spirometry, measuring FEV1 (basal) and after treatment: at 30 minutes, 60 minutes and thereafter every 60 minutes until 780 minutes, if the patients maintained the FEV1 above 80% of the predicted value and/or an increment of 20% in the VEF1 basal value. The Salmeterol group showed a significant bronchodilation at 60 minutes which was maintained in half of the patients up to 9 hours. This was not observed in the Salbutamol group: the peak bronchodilatation was observed at 30 minutes and the bronchodilation effect was observed in half of the patients up to 6 hours. There were no significant differences between both presentations of Salmeterol. This drug allowed a prolonged bronchodilator effect and is, according to the several consensus on management of asthma, an adequate option in the treatment of moderate to severe asthma.
authors.affiliation: Departamento de Pediatria, Escola Paulista de Medicina.
authors.forename: D
authors.initials: D
authors.lastname: Solé
authors.forename: M C
authors.initials: MC
authors.lastname: Rizzo
authors.forename: I M
authors.initials: IM
authors.lastname: Porto
authors.forename: I D
authors.initials: ID
authors.lastname: Gomez
authors.forename: F
authors.initials: F
authors.lastname: Sano
authors.forename: M A
authors.initials: MA
authors.lastname: Figueiredo
authors.forename: C K
authors.initials: CK
authors.lastname: Naspitz