Safety of One Method of Sputum Induction in Asthmatic Subjects

To assess the safety of sputum induction in asthmatic subjects, we conducted a retrospective review of data from 351 sputum inductions in 78 subjects from our institution. The sputum induction protocol consisted of baseline FEV1, pretreatment with albuterol 180 μ g, postbronchodilator spirometry 15 min later, the induction procedure itself (inhalation of 3% saline for 20 min), and postsputum induction spirometry. We found that sputum induction...