There is usually a tachycardia. The dose may be repeated at 20 minute intervals or even continuously. If there is no satisfactory response to 2 to 3 administered doses of salbutamol, give hydrocortisone 300mg, intravenously stat and 200mg intravenously every four hours thereafter until the patient is better. Ventilation however is rarely necessary for bronchospasm following toxic exposures. Unless the patient is an asthmatic, improvement is generally rapid.
Fatalities are rare.
The patient should be carefully monitored until improvement occurs. Sensitisation to a toxic substance may result in reactive airways disease. Dr Ravindra Fernando, National Poisons Information Centre, Faculty of Medicine, Kynsey Road, Colombo 8, Sri Lanka. C.P. Snook, J. Szajewski. T.J. Meredith, L. Murray, A. Nantel.