A Protocol for the Emergency Treatment of Acute Asthma in Adults

Abstract

Despite a greater understanding of the pathogenesis of asthma (1) and an enlarging armamentarium of drugs used to treat it, acute exacerbations remain a frequent cause of visits to hospital emergency rooms. Many different therapies have been utilized to treat acute asthma and in recent years a number of investigators have studied various components of the assessment and treatment of acute attacks (2-6). Although our level of sophistication in approaching asthma has increased, no gold standard has evolved for emergency therapy. To a large degree, the personal preference of the treating physician remains the greatest determinant of therapy for acute exacerbations.