INDICATIONS AND ROUTES OF ADMINISTRATION OF ADRENALINE: WHAT’S NEW

Key words: Adrenaline, Anaphylaxis, Bronchiolitis, Croup, Bronchial asthma, Cardiopulmonary resuscitation

In recent years, new indications for adrenaline have been added to the most timehonored ones, such as anaphylaxis and cardiopulmonary resuscitation: Alternative routes of administration have also been evaluated. For anaphylaxis, nebulised adrenaline is very effective if administrated at an early stage and has the advantage of allowing a quick and easy administration, thus preventing the progress of anaphylactic reactions. Findings from recent studies show that both subcutaneous and nebulized adrenaline are effective in the treatment of acute bronchiolitis in infants and toddlers. Nebulized adrenaline is now an accepted indication in croup. Most of the studies in croup and bronchiolitis were made with racemic adrenaline, but there is evidence that the laevorotatory form is equally effective and does not produce cardiac effects even at relatively high dosages (0.1 mg/kg in croup and 0.25 mg/kg in bronchiolitis).