Course Summary

Expiration Date: 08/19/2029

Bronchodilators are central to the management of noninfectious respiratory diseases due to their ability to rapidly improve airflow by modulating airway smooth muscle tone. This course provides a mechanism-based review of bronchodilator pharmacology, emphasizing autonomic pathways, duration of action, and delivery characteristics that influence clinical response. Short- and long-acting bronchodilators are examined in the context of symptom relief, maintenance therapy, and safety limitations, including systemic effects and inappropriate escalation. By focusing on pharmacologic principles rather than individual treatment algorithms, this course supports accurate interpretation of bronchodilator response, recognition of nonresponse, and safer integration of bronchodilators into respiratory care.

Course Format

Homestudy

Course Syllabus

  • Introduction
  • Role of Bronchodilators in Respiratory Care
  • Airway Smooth Muscle and Bronchomotor Tone
  • Mechanistic Classes of Bronchodilators
    • β₂-Adrenergic Agonists
    • Muscarinic Antagonists (Anticholinergics)
    • Methylxanthines
    • Short-Acting and Long-Acting Bronchodilators
    • FDA-Approved Bronchodilators: Class Overview
  • FDA-Approved Bronchodilators Currently Used in U.S. Practice
    • Inhaled Delivery and Clinical Performance
    • Adverse Effects and Safety Considerations
    • Limits of Bronchodilator Therapy
    • Integration With Other Respiratory Therapies
  • Summary

Authors

Richard Daniels, PharmD, BCPS

Richard “Cole” Daniels earned his Doctor of Pharmacy(PharmD) from the Skaggs School of Pharmacy at the University of Montana in 2018. Throughout pharmacy school he completed a 3-year internship at Community Medical Center in Missoula, Montana in which he gained valuable experience in an acute care setting. Cole currently serves as a psychiatric clinical staff pharmacist at the Montana State Hospital. He has over 11 years of pharmacy experience having worked in several settings including retail, acute care, and inpatient psychiatric care. Cole has a diverse set of interests. However, acute care medicine, infectious disease, pain management, and asthma/COPD are a primary focus of his at the Montana State Hospital. He obtained board certification as a certified pharmacotherapy specialist in the Spring of 2022.

Elisabeth Gordon, BScPharm, RPh

Elisabeth Gordon earned her BSc(Pharm) from the University of British Columbia in 2004. After graduation, she worked in community retail pharmacies on Vancouver Island, before returning to her rural hometown of Salmon Arm. In 2016 and 2017, Elisabeth trained with Pallium Canada and Victoria Hospice to enhance her knowledge of end-of-life-care and palliative services. She is a volunteer medical supervisor for T1DOutreach, a peer support platform for adults living with type 1 diabetes, and a member of a Canadian peer support group for adults living with Birdshot Uveitis. Elisabeth enjoys working in a small, fast-paced rural pharmacy where she brings compassion and empathy to her everyday practice.