European journal of emergency medicine : official journal of the European Society for Emergency Medicine
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Randomized Controlled Trial Clinical Trial
Intravenous magnesium sulphate in the management of moderate to severe acute asthmatic children nonresponding to conventional therapy.
Management of severe acute asthma attacks in children sometimes bring difficulties to the physician. Some current treatment strategies have focused on intravenous magnesium sulphate administration in patients nonresponding to therapy with beta-2 agonists and corticosteroids. The use and efficacy of this drug has been discussed in this randomized, double-blind, placebo-controlled clinical trial consisting of 20 children with moderate to severe acute asthma exacerbation admitted to the emergency department in Dicle University Hospital, Turkey. ⋯ These significant changes persisted at 45, 60, 75 and 90 minutes. No significant side effects were observed. In conclusion, severe asthmatic cases may benefit from magnesium sulphate therapy when beta-2 agonists are inadequate in preventing deterioration.