When using albuterol, be sure to select an albuterol nebulizer product that does not contain a bronchoconstricting preservative, such as benzalkonium, he advised. Using levalbuterol, an active stereo-isomer of albuterol, for acute asthma in children is no more effective but much more costly than using albuterol, he said. Otitis media and sinusitis Rick Ricer, M.D., professor and predoctoral director of family practice at the University of Cincinnati, described the latest treatment options for otitis media and sinusitis. Many of the same things trigger each response. The bacterial causes are identical, and the antibiotics used are the same.
Nebulizers are an obsolete way of treating children with asthma.
Nonetheless, he recommended the use of antibiotics, saying they shorten the course of the illness, decrease otalgia, speed perforation healing and decrease the incidence of subsequent mastoiditis. Not all cases of acute sinusitis need antibiotic therapy, Ricer said, but all cases need some type of drainage with decongestants or other options. Decreased use of antibiotics for colds masquerading as acute sinusitis may help thwart the problem of drug resistance, he contended. For patients with pharyngitis, physicians should do a rapid strep test, said Louis Kuritzky, M.D., clinical assistant professor of family medicine at the University of Florida in Gainesville. If the test is positive, treat the patient with penicillin for 10 days or with similar antibiotics, such as erythromycin.