[Bronchodilator effect of fenoterol aerosol. Are 4 0.1-mg doses better than a single dose of 0.4 mg?].

UNLABELLED

The bronchodilator effect of a single dose of 0.4 mg fenoterol aerosol was compared with the sequential application of the same total dose in 11 patients with bronchial asthma. The patients received either 0.4 mg fenoterol followed by 3 doses of placebo at 30 minute intervals or four 0.1 mg doses of fenoterol each at 30 minute intervals on 2 days in a double-blind randomised investigation. Both application forms had a marked bronchodilator effect. At 60 minutes two 0.1 mg doses of fenoterol had the same effect as the initial dose of 0.4 mg whereas at 120 minutes the sequential inhalation of 0.1 mg had the most marked bronchodilator effect.

CONCLUSION

An improvement in beta 2-sympathomimetic inhalation therapy can be achieved more readily by reducing the dose interval than by raising the total dose.