Use of mechanical ventilation in adults with severe asthma (correction)
Canadian Medical Association journal 130(8): 973
1984
ISSN/ISBN: 0008-4409 PMID: 6704858 Document Number: 231288
Asthma severe enough to require intubation and mechanical ventilation is associated with a mortality rate of about 10%. Therapeutic modalities are ever-changing and at times controversial. This paper provides an update on such modalities and presents, in a step-wise fashion, those most appropriate for practical patient care. The timing of intubation and the methods used to control airway patency, arterial pH and gas levels, and hemodynamic status are crucial to the success of therapy. Finally, conventional and disputed methods of bronchodilation are outlined.