Nebulised magnesium with salbutamol in refractory acute asthma

After 8 years of recruitment to this study, Schuh S et al [JAMA 2020;324:2038–2047 doi:10.1001/jama.2020.19839] have reported the results of this randomised, double blind, placebo controlled parallel group controlled trial. PERC (Paediatric Emergency Research Network of Canada) is a large research network and some of their members, recruited children between 2011 and 2019, in seven tertiary-care paediatric emergency departments. The participants were previously healthy children aged 2 to 17 years with moderate to severe asthma defined by a Paediatric Respiratory Assessment Measure (PRAM) score of 5 or greater (on a 12-point scale) after a 1 hour treatment with an oral corticosteroid and three inhaled salbutamol and ipratropium treatments. Of 5846 screened patients, 818 were randomised and 816 were analysed. This team asked the question. What is the effectiveness of nebulised magnesium sulphate (MgSO4) in children and adolescents with acute asthma in the emergency department who remain in moderate or severe respiratory...

from Archives of Disease in Childhood current issue https://ift.tt/3mjcroE