Inhaled Bronchodilators for Asthma Are Equally Effective When Diluted with Either Tap Water or Normal Saline

Abstract

Topical deposition of drugs on the airways in children with reactive airways disease decreases the dose required to achieve a therapeutic effect, thus reducing side effects. Most drugs for inhalation must be diluted before addition to the nebulizer, and we compared the use of normal saline and tap water for this purpose. Our results indicate that metaproterenol is equally effective as a nebulized medication when diluted with tap water as when diluted with normal saline.