title: Critical care in the ED: potentially fatal asthma and acute lung injury syndrome.
abstract: Emergency department clinicians are frequently called upon to assess, diagnose, and stabilize patients who present with acute respiratory failure. This review describes a rapid initial approach to acute respiratory failure in adults, illustrated by two common examples: (1) an airway disease - acute potentially fatal asthma, and (2) a pulmonary parenchymal disease - acute lung injury/acute respiratory distress syndrome. As such patients are usually admitted to hospital, discussion will be focused on those initial management aspects most relevant to the emergency department clinician.
authors.affiliation: Divisions of Pulmonary and Critical Care, University of Ottawa and The Ottawa Hospital, Ottawa, Canada.
authors.forename: Rick
authors.initials: R
authors.lastname: Hodder
keywords: ARDS; acute asthma; acute lung injury; acute respiratory failure