Volume 41 Number 1, January/February 2004
Pages 59 — 64
Abstract - Bronchodilator responses to metaproterenol sulfate among subjects with spinal cord injury
Gregory J. Schilero, MD; David Grimm, EdD; Ann M. Spungen, EdD; Roberta Lenner, MD; Marvin Lesser, MD
Spinal Cord Damage Research Center, Pulmonary/Critical Care Medicine Section, The Bronx Department of Veterans Affairs Medical Center, Bronx, NY; Basic Sciences Department, New York Chiropractic College, Seneca Falls, NY; Departments of Medicine and Rehabilitation Medicine, The Mount Sinai School of Medicine, New York, NY
Abstract-A previous study using spirometric methods demonstrated that 42% of subjects with tetraplegia experienced significant bronchodilation following inhalation of metaproterenol sulfate (MS). Comparative studies involving subjects with paraplegia were not performed and none has been performed in this population using body plethysmography, a more sensitive method used to assess airway responsiveness. Stable subjects with tetraplegia (n = 5) or paraplegia (n = 5) underwent spirometry and determination of specific airway conductance (sGaw) by body plethysmography at baseline and 30 minutes after nebulization of MS (0.3 mL of a 5% solution). Among subjects with tetraplegia, inhaled MS resulted in significant increases in spirometric indices and sGaw. Among subjects with paraplegia, only sGaw increased significantly, although this increase was considerably less than that seen in subjects with tetraplegia. Our findings indicate that subjects with tetraplegia exhibit greater bronchodilation in response to inhaled MS than do subjects with paraplegia and that sGaw measurements may confer greater sensitivity for assessing bronchodilator responsiveness in tetraplegia.
Key words: adrenergic beta-agonists, airway resistance, bronchodilator agents, paraplegia, spinal cord diseases, spirometry, tetraplegia, whole-body plethysmography.
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Last Reviewed or Updated Tuesday, May 29, 2007 12:09 PM