Mechanical Ventilation in Status Asthmaticus

STATUS asthmaticus represents acute asthmatic pulmonary failure, remarkably fatal according to the recent literature. A review of three years' experience in a 200-bed community hospital disclosed 8 patients in status asthmaticus, all successfully managed according to the methods discussed below. Information about these patients is summarized in Table 1.Status asthmaticus results from the persistence and worsening of the rare asthmatic attack that does not resolve spontaneously or with the usual treatment. The deterioration of the patient's physical condition results from obstructed respiratory exchange. Small airways are narrowed by spasm and edema and are occluded by retained, thick, drying secretions that . . .