Management of patients with acute asthma: what do we know? What do we need to know?
Management of patients with acute, severe asthma mandates the use of comprehensive monitoring and aggressive therapeutic drug regimens. Global clinical and objective assessment criteria can help determine the severity of the acute episode and will also help determine optimal management protocols. The response to aggressive therapy, rather than the initial severity of the attack, predicts outcome. Beta 2 sympathomimetic agents are the treatment of choice for acute asthmatic episodes. Aminophylline and parasympatholytic agents may be useful adjuvants, but more data are needed before firm conclusions can be reached regarding risk-benefit ratios. The optimal timing of steroid therapy is not yet known, but even this form of treatment is slow in producing results.
McFadden
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Airway Disease Center, Case Western Reserve University School of Medicine, Cleveland, Ohio.
D000208:Acute Disease; D001249:Asthma / Q000628:therapy*; D006801:Humans