4 Shortness of breath

hortness of breath is the chief complaint for about 8% of 999 calls to the ambulance service, and is the third most common type of emergency call. It can also be an important symptom in patients with a wide range of conditions. Reference should therefore be made to other relevant articles-particularly that discussing chest pain. The conditions covered in this paper include asthma, chronic obstructive pulmonary disease, acute pulmonary oedema, and chest infections. The objectives for this paper are listed in box 1.