Bronchodilators
Medication class detail with safety cues and nursing action focus.
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.
Individual drug cards
No improvement after rescue bronchodilator is a priority.
Eye pain/halos after nebulizer exposure is a glaucoma cue.
Rescue inhaler comes before controller inhaler during acute symptoms.
Rescue inhaler comes before controller inhaler during acute symptoms.
Rescue inhaler comes before controller inhaler during acute symptoms.
Related study cards
Shows conditions, glossary terms, Drive entities, and source-linked cards connected to this medication class.
No improvement after rescue bronchodilator is a priority.
Rescue inhaler comes before controller inhaler during acute symptoms.
Eye pain/halos after nebulizer exposure is a glaucoma cue.
Rescue inhaler comes before controller inhaler during acute symptoms.
Rescue inhaler comes before controller inhaler during acute symptoms.
Silent chest is worse than wheezing.
Cough with mucus and wheeze after URI.
Barrel chest, pursed lips, chronic productive cough.