Bronchodilators

Medication class detail with safety cues and nursing action focus.

Back to meds
Respiratoryneeds review

Bronchodilators

Examples: albuterol, ipratropium, salmeterol, tiotropium

Mechanism

Opens narrowed airways by relaxing bronchial smooth muscle or reducing vagal bronchoconstriction.

Used for

  • Asthma
  • COPD
  • Bronchospasm

Side effects

  • Tremor
  • Tachycardia
  • Dry mouth with anticholinergic inhalers

Nursing actions

  • Use rescue inhaler for acute symptoms; controller medications are not rescue.
  • Assess lung sounds, work of breathing, and oxygenation.
  • Teach spacer use and rinse mouth when paired with inhaled steroids.

Hold / question cues

  • Severe tachycardia
  • Chest pain after dosing
  • No relief from repeated rescue doses

Antidote / reversal

  • No routine class-specific antidote or reversal agent is seeded for this class; hold/question unsafe doses, support ABCs, notify the provider, and use facility or poison-control guidance for toxicity.

NCLEX pearl

  • Albuterol opens now; steroids calm inflammation over time.