Ipratropium bromide is commonly used to open up medium and large airways of the lungs. Initial findings from a new study indicate the ipratropium’s use with salbutamol can be helpful in airway hygiene in ICU. Ipratropium is a non-selective muscarinic antagonist which is also used as a bronchodilator. β-Adrenergic agonists are found to be associated with increased ciliary beat frequency in animal models. This property might be suggestive of their use in airway hygiene.
Salbutamol is also used in large airway mucociliary clearance. But, studies have suggested that salbutamol may not be useful in clearing smaller airways. As salbutamol alone may not be useful in maintaining hygiene in lungs, hence scientists from Portugal are currently conducting a study that includes ipratropium and salbutamol for transtracheal instillation. The study aims at assessing the effectiveness of this…
