Therapy

Consider adding salbutamol 10 - 20mg by nebuliser ^c

Note:

• This is two to four times the usual dose for severe asthma: watch for adverse effects (tachycardia, hypertension, anxiety)
• About a quarter of patients have very poor responses to nebulised salbutamol ^c

• It lowers potassium by 0.4 to 0.9 mmol/L within 1 hour in haemodialysis patients with hyperkalaemia ^c
• The combination of insulin-glucose with salbutamol lowers potassium more than either alone and reduces the hypoglycaemic effect of insulin ^c