PT  - JOURNAL ARTICLE
AU  - Roberto W. Dal Negro
AU  - Paola Pescatori
AU  - Claudio Micheletto
AU  - Silvia Tognella
TI  - Formoterol, but not indacaterol, induces transient hypoxemia in severe COPD
DP  - 2011 Sep 01
TA  - European Respiratory Journal
PG  - p4002
VI  - 38
IP  - Suppl 55
4099  - http://erj.ersjournals.com/content/38/Suppl_55/p4002.short
4100  - http://erj.ersjournals.com/content/38/Suppl_55/p4002.full
SO  - Eur Respir J2011 Sep 01; 38
AB  - β2-agonists are effective options in COPD. Mainly the short-acting compounds can rapidly induce a transient hypoxemia by affecting pulmonary vasculature. Most recent long-acting β2-agonists (LABA) were poorly investigated from this point of view.Aim: Aim was to measure and compare the hypoxemic effect of Formoterol (F) and Indacaterol (I) in moderate-to-severe COPD.Methods: 24 ex-smoker patients (18m; mean age= 70.3y±6.1sd; range 51-76; mean FEV1/FVC = 52.2% pred. ±9.0sd; mean FEV1= 50.0±11.8ds) were studied after their written informed consent according to a double-blind, double-dummy, cross-over, randomized design. Active drugs were F 12mcg and I 300mcg, assumed in two different days, with a 36h-interval in between. Arterial blood was drawn in baseline; after 5', and 30' from F and I; FEV1 was measured at the same times. Statistics: Friedman's analysis of variance by ranks and Page's test for trend, and p<0.05 accepted.Results: See Table 1 (means ± sd).View this table:Table 1Discussion: Both F and I induced rapidly an equal (p=ns) and significant (p<0.001) bronchodilation. The trends for PaO2 changes were significantly different with the two drugs (p<0.04): F induced a sudden, substantial hypoxemia lasting at least for 30', changes following I were negligible.Conclusions: 1) the safety of I is emphasized; 2) the peculiar chemical structure of I and the fact that it behaves as a nearly full β2-adrenoceptor agonist likely contribute to explain its uneffectiveness in terms of β2-induced hypoxemia in COPD.