[Nebulized salbutamol as a possible cause of lactate acidosis in a patient with acute asthma].

A 50-year-old man was in the emergency department treated for acute asthma with repeated doses of nebulized salbutamol according to guidelines, and as a result of this treatment he developed marked lactate acidosis. Lactate acidosis is not commonly listed as a side effect to nebulized salbutamol. House officers in the emergency department handling acute asthma should be aware of this paradox, though the condition may resolve in spite of continued treatment with salbutamol.