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Bronchial Thermoplasty: A Novel Therapeutic Approach to Severe Asthma
Published on: November 4, 2010
Exacerbation of asthma due to inadvertent use of a dummy inhaler
1Department of Respiratory Medicine, Luton & Dunstable University Hospital, Lewsey Road, Luton LU4 0DZ, Bedfordshire, United Kingdom.
Abstract:
Asthma is a common airways disease. Fortunately most patients respond well to inhaled therapy. Regular use of a combination inhaler delivering corticosteroid and a long-acting beta-2 agonist, is the mainstay of treatment and allows asthmatics to live a relatively normal life. However, management of asthma depends not only on the choice of drug/inhaler but also on patient compliance and optimal inhaler technique. This report describes a patient who continued to deteriorate despite adhering to prescribed treatment and demonstrating a good inhaler technique. Unfortunately the combination inhaler she was taking inadvertently was a designated placebo device for a branded product. This error was identified and corrected only after she was admitted with an asthma attack.
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