Therapy of acute bronchospasm. Complicated by lactic acidosis and hypokalemia

Hypokalemia and lactic acidosis developed following correction of respiratory acidosis in a 5-year-old child who presented with respiratory failure secondary to severe asthma and treated with theophylline, inhaled albuterol, and parenteral methylprednisolone. Calculation of the "anion gap" that provided the clue to presence of lactic acidosis was confirmed by the measurement of serum lactate level.