Life-threatening asthma, part 2: Strategies for management

Hilary Goldberg, Jay Peters

Research output: Contribution to journalReview articlepeer-review

Abstract

β-Agonists, administered by metered-dose inhaler or nebulizer, are still the mainstay of therapy for asthma exacerbations. A trial of subcutaneous β-agonist may be considered in patients who fail to respond to inhaled medications. Levalbuterol may play a role in managing refractory asthma, particularly in patients with ischemic heart disease or severe tachycardia. Systemic corticosteroids should be administered to all patients who present to the hospital with asthma unless their peak expiratory volume in 1 second (FEV1) is at least 80% of predicted after 1 hour of treatment; this therapy should be instituted within 1 hour of presentation. For patients with severe obstruction, the combined use of an antichlonergic and a β-agonists PEFR and FEV1 more than β-agonists alone and significantly decreases the risk of hospital admission.

Original languageEnglish (US)
Pages (from-to)649-656
Number of pages8
JournalConsultant
Volume46
Issue number6
StatePublished - May 2006

Keywords

  • Asthma
  • Corticosteroids
  • Therapy
  • β-agonists

ASJC Scopus subject areas

  • General Medicine

Fingerprint

Dive into the research topics of 'Life-threatening asthma, part 2: Strategies for management'. Together they form a unique fingerprint.

Cite this