Clinical condition or situation to which this PGD applies
Treatment of severe and life threatening asthma, cardiac arrhythmias and eclampsia
Inclusion criteria
Patients suffering from severe / life threatening asthma who are not responding to standard treatment
Cardiac arrhythmias - e.g. Torsades de points where hypomagnesia is a common course or refractory VF
Pregnant patients who are fitting due to pre-eclampsia / eclampsia
Exclusion criteria
Hypersensitivity to magnesium and its salts
Hepatic encephalopathy or hepatic failure
Renal failure
Children <12 years of age
Heart block
Cautions
Impaired renal function
Patients receiving digitalis glycosides
Respiratory depression may occur in patients with respiratory disease
Solution must be diluted before use
patients suffering from myasthenia graves
Name, form and strength
Magnesium Sulphate Injection BP 50% (5g in 10ml)
Dose and frequency
Severe Asthma
- 2g in 100ml of NaCl 0.9% or 100ml in 5% glucose over 20 minutes
- IV infusion / IO injection
Torsade de points
- 2g in 100ml of NaCl 0.9% or 100ml in 5% glucose over 20 minutes
- IV infusion / IO injection
Refractory VF - 2g IV Bolus
Eclamptic seizures
- 4g in 100ml of NaCl 0.9% or 100ml 5% glucose over 15 minutes
