[Tolerance and effect of short-term theophylline infusions]

Short-term infusions with theophylline or aminophylline are often infused very quickly. The present study aimed at comparing the tolerance and therapeutic effect of a theophylline short-term infusion (420 mg theophylline) and an aminophylline short-term infusion (theophylline component 351.3 mg). We infused 16 adults suffering from chronic obstructive respiratory disease, daily at 7 a.m. with increasing speed of infusion and in the following week the other one, and recorded undesirable effects and actions on pulmonary function and gas exchange. 3 of 16 patients tolerated only slow speeds of infusion, 7 patients had mild side effects and tolerated like the other 6 patients even the shortest infusion time. On the whole, both preparations were equally well tolerated. FEV1 and peak flow improved clearly, but only in the course of the next few hours. Theophylline short-term infusion was markedly more effective in this regard. The prompt and infusion rate-independent improvement of the transcutaneous O2 and CO2 partial pressures, which took place even during the short-term injection period, was independent of the preparation. Our data show that intravenously administered theophylline or aminophylline are therapeutically acutely useful substances. However, there is evidently no need to administer theophylline or aminophylline short-term infusions very rapidly, i.e. at below 20 minutes infusion time.