Unintentional oral beta agonist overdose: case report and review of the literature.

An 18-month-old male infant with oral albuterol intoxication was admitted to our pediatric emergency medicine unit with agitation, moderate hypokalemia (2.36 mEq/L), and hyperglycemia (180 mg/dL). His initial electrocardiogram showed sinus tachycardia with a low-amplitude T waves. He was admitted for observation, intravenous hydration was started with added potassium, blood glucose levels were closely monitored along with serum potassium and magnesium, and serial electrocardiography was performed. It should be stressed that as an oral bronchodilator, albuterol does not improve symptoms of asthma, and it can lead to severe complications, which can be avoided when this drug is delivered by inhalation or by a metered dose inhaler.

Salbutamol misuse or abuse with fatal outcome: a case-report.

Salbutamol is a short-acting agonist of the ß(2) adrenergic receptors sometimes misused or abused, which can result in various cardiovascular adverse effects. We report one case of fatal salbutamol misuse or abuse in a 36-year-old poorly controlled female asthmatic patient with a past medical history of alcoholism and a recent smoking cessation. She died shortly after hospital admission following acute dyspnea and sudden collapse at home. Toxicological analyses evidenced salbutamol overdose, and necropsy showed acute lung edema and marked dysplasia of the right ventricle and revealed the patient was pregnant. The involvement of an initial disorder of the ventricular rhythm leading to cardiac failure is suggested by the presence of several combined pro-arrhythmogenic factors, such as arrhythmogenic right ventricle dysplasia, hypoxemia related to bronchospasm and salbutamol overdose.