Intravenous magnesium sulfate reduces rates of mechanical ventilation in pediatric asthma.

In this column, we examine an original research article by S. Torres et al. (2012) on the subject of magnesium sulfate use in pediatric patients with acute asthma. These researchers found that patients treated with 25 mg/kg of intravenous magnesium sulfate in addition to the conventional treatment options for acute asthma were less likely to require mechanical ventilation than patients in the control group. We review and critique this article and use a case study to illustrate the clinical implications of this research. We also examine some of the research and guidelines pertaining to the use of magnesium sulfate in acute asthma.