PT  - JOURNAL ARTICLE
AU  - Alina Croitoru
AU  - Diana Ionita
AU  - Irina Pele
AU  - Daniela Jipa
AU  - Miron Bogdan
TI  - Respiratory muscle strength after inhaled short acting beta-agonist administration in stable COPD patients
DP  - 2012 Sep 01
TA  - European Respiratory Journal
PG  - P1149
VI  - 40
IP  - Suppl 56
4099  - http://erj.ersjournals.com/content/40/Suppl_56/P1149.short
4100  - http://erj.ersjournals.com/content/40/Suppl_56/P1149.full
SO  - Eur Respir J2012 Sep 01; 40
AB  - Background: Complex mechanisms are involved in dyspnoea and exercise intolerance in COPD patients, one of these being the increased mechanical work of respiratory muscles.Aim: To evaluate the increase in respiratory muscle strength after administration of salbutamol in COPD patients.Subjects and methods: Stable COPD patients performed respiratory muscle strength measurements (maximal inspiratory pressure MIP, maximal expiratory pressure MEP) and body-pletismography (residual volume RV, functional residual capacity FRC). MIP and MEP were again measured 30 minutes after 400 micrograms of inhaled salbutamol was administrated.Results: Twenty stable COPD patients were evaluated: stage II-IV GOLD, mean age 58.5 (±9) years, 17 males, mean FEV1 1.29 L (42.6% of predicted).Mean respiratory muscle strength values were: MIP 73.8 (±22) cm H20 and MEP 132.2 (±35) cm H20. Thoracic hyperinflation was present in all cases: mean RV 231.8% and mean FRC 168.9% of predicted.A slight increase in respiratory muscle strength was seen after salbutamol administration, without reaching statistical significance: mean MIP value increased to 76.4 cm H20 (by 2.6 cm H20, p>0.05), mean MEP value increased to 133.15 (by 0.9 cm H20, p>0.05).Conclusion: The administration of 400 micrograms of inhaled salbutamol in our stable COPD patients did not significantly improve respiratory muscle strength. Further studies are needed on a larger population of COPD patients with different disease phenotypes.