Controversies in the Care of the Acute Asthmatic in the Prehospital and Emergency Department Environments

Asthma is an episodic disease of the airways characterized by inflammation and constriction of the bronchi. It has a significant societal impact with over 25 million persons affected in the United States alone and annually accounts for approximately 3300 deaths in the US. Standard therapy for acute severe asthma is effective for most patients, but controversies exist surrounding the care of the impending or actual respiratory failure patient. Non-invasive positive pressure ventilation has been effective in multiple case reports, but lacks large trial evidence to support its use. Intravenous ketamine similarly has supporting case reports, but an absence of rigorous evidence. Finally, parenteral beta-adrenergic medications have a long history of use, but have not been consistently shown to be superior to inhaled short-acting beta agonists. Further, they have been associated with higher rates of adverse effects.