The inhalation of beta-agonists has been associated with hypokalemia, prolonged QTc,
and tachycardia (
1
). Hypokalemia occurs secondary to transport of potassium intracellularly. Levalbuterol,
the R-isomer of albuterol, was marketed to possess fewer cardiac effects than racemic
albuterol. There have been rare reports concerning the use or abuse of levalbuterol
(
2
). Two reports note that QT prolongation and hypokalemic effects of levalbuterol are
similar to racemic albuterol (
3
,
4
).To read this article in full you will need to make a payment
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References
- Cardiovascular effects of beta-agonists in patients with asthma and COPD: a meta-analysis.Chest. 2004; 125: 2309-2321
- Levalbuterol toxicity: no reason to be jittery.Eur Respir J. 2003; 21: 1081
- Evaluation of levalbuterol metered dose inhaler in pediatric patients with asthma: a double-blind, randomized, placebo- and active-controlled trial.Curr Med Res Opin. 2006; 22: 1217-1226
- A comparison of levalbuterol with racemic albuterol in the treatment of acute severe asthma exacerbations in adults.Am J Emerg Med. 2006; 24: 259-267
Article info
Publication history
Published online: February 18, 2008
Footnotes
The views expressed in this letter are those of the authors and do not necessarily reflect the official policy or position of the Department of the Navy, Department of Defense, nor the U.S. Government.
Identification
Copyright
© 2008 Elsevier Inc. Published by Elsevier Inc. All rights reserved.
