All issues > Volume 34(11); 1991

Original Article

J Korean Pediatr Soc. 1991;34(11):1505-1511. Published online November 30, 1991.

The effect of ultrasonic nebulized salbutamol in the first attacked wheezy infants.

Soo Young Kweon¹, Young Mi Hong¹, Gyung Hee Kim¹, Seung Joo Lee¹, Keun Lee¹

¹Department of Pediatrics, College of Medicine, Ewha Womans University, Seoul, Korea

Received: May 9, 1991;  Accepted: August 6, 1991.

Abstract

Wheezing is one of the most common symptom in the first 2 year of life. Although the effect of bronchodilator in wheezy infants was still debating, various form of bronchodilator has been tried untill now. This study was done to estimate the value of ultrasonic nebulized salbutamol as a bronchodilator test and maintenance therapy compared to epinephrine and aminophylline in 44 wheezy infants below 24 months of age who were first admitted to EWUH, Department of Pediatrics, from November 1989 to August 1990. The subjects were randomly divided into ultrasonic nebulized salbutamol and subcutaneous epine- phrine group for a bronchodilator test, and divided again into ultrasonic nebulized salbutamol and IV aminophylline group as a maintenance therapy. The results were as follows: 1) The response rates of bronchodilator in salbutamol group, was 25% which is not significantly different to 16.7% in epinephrine group. 2) The response rates according to age were not different, 22.2% in infants below 6 months, 15.0% in 6〜 12 months, 30.0% in 12〜 18 months and 20% in 18~24 months. 3) In young infants with the first wheezing, the maintenance therapeutic effect of ultrasonic nebulized salbutamol was similar to aminophylline in changes of respiratory distress scores and the durations of wheezing. The side effects of ultrasonic nebulized salbutamol were significantly lower than IV aminophylline (p<0.01). This study demonstrate the effectiveness and safety of ultrasonic nebulized salbutamol in the treatment of the infants below 24 monsths of age with first wheezing.

Keywords :Wheezy infant;Nebulized salbutamol