The aim of this study is to establish whether or not the inhalation of a puff of salbutamol (Ventoline(R), 100-mu-g) could induce hypoxemia. Twenty-five chronic obstructive pulmonary disease (COPD) patients were investigated. In a first group of 20 patients arterial blood gases and related indices were measured before and 5, 10, 30, 60 and 90 minutes after inhalation of salbutamol. The oxyhemoglobin dissociation curve was traced before and 90 minutes after the drug intake.
Except in two subjects in whom salbutamol dramatically improves arterial blood gases, the drug had no effect on the investigated parameters. It is concluded that salbutamol does not affect the blood gases in COPD patients. In this respect the behaviour of COPD patients differs from that of asthmatics in whom salbutamol generally induced hypoxemia.
Clerbaux, Thierry ; Henry, Patricia ; Veriter, C. ; Nullens, W. ; Detry, Bruno ; et. al. [Effect of Inhaled Salbutamol On Pulmonary Gas-exchange of Copd Patients]. In: Revue des Maladies Respiratoires, Vol. 9, no. 2, p. 171-177 (1992)