We assessed the bronchodilator effects of inhaled fenoterol and ipratropium and compared them according to the localization of airway obstruction in 37 patients with bronchial asthma. Although FVC and FEV1 increased remarkably at 10 minutes and one ho...
We assessed the bronchodilator effects of inhaled fenoterol and ipratropium and compared them according to the localization of airway obstruction in 37 patients with bronchial asthma. Although FVC and FEV1 increased remarkably at 10 minutes and one hour after each inhalation of fenoterol or ipratropium, there were no significant differences in effects between the two drugs except that there was a more distinguishable response in FEF25~75% at 10 minutes after fenoterol inhalation. In the response group in which Δvma×50 was more than 20%, fenorerol showed more significant increases in FEV, and FEF25~75% than in the nonresponse group, and showed a more marked response of FEF25~75% than that of the ipratropium group at 10 minutes after inhalation, However, at one hour after inhalation, their bronchodilator efficacy was similar without any statistical differences. The above results suggested that the bronchodilator effect of fenoterol occurred more rapidly than that of ipratropium and that both drugs are able to act on the central large airways as weI1 as the peripheral small airways.