Allergy to diazepam--or vehicle.

reported a rise of 22 beats/min after a similar dose in acute asthma, while we have shown a rise of 28 beats/min one minute after salbutamol 200 xjg injected over a one-minute period to convalescent asthmatics.5 Indeed, Mr Neville and his colleagues reported a rise of 31 beats/min on completion of their intravenous injection. It would seem likely that had Professor Femi-Pearse measured the pulse rate sooner after completion of the bolus injection of salbutamol a greater tachycardia would have been apparent. In view of these other reports we feel that salbutamol should be administered intravenously slowly (over at least five minutes) and that, with time, cardiotoxic effects or deaths will be observed if this effective bronchodilator is given rapidly as suggested.