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Life-threatening Asthma: Focus on Lung Protection

  • Chapter
Yearbook of Intensive Care and Emergency Medicine

Part of the book series: Yearbook of Intensive Care and Emergency Medicine ((YEARBOOK,volume 2009))

Abstract

Acute asthma exacerbation is a common medical emergency; approximately 10% of asthma related hospital admissions will require intensive care and, despite aggressive medical therapy, 4 % will develop life-threatening asthma requiring endotracheal intubation and mechanical ventilation for persistent respiratory failure. Not surprisingly, patients with life-threatening asthma have high morbidity and mortality. In this chapter, we will review the pathophysiology of dynamic hyperinflation and respiratory failure in asthma, and armed with this knowledge we describe how to provide lung protective mechanical ventilation while delivering adequate oxygenation and maximizing medical therapy. We will also comment on the different rescue therapies available for patients with refractory respiratory failure who fail mechanical ventilation.

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Authors and Affiliations

  1. Interdepartmental Division of Critical Care, Toronto Western Hospital, 399 Bathurst Street, 2MCL-411M, Toronto, ON, M5T 2S8, Canada

    H. Quiroz Martinez

  2. Toronto Western Hospital, 399 Bathurst Street, 2MCL-411M, Toronto, ON, M5T 2S8, Canada

    N. D. Ferguson

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  1. H. Quiroz Martinez
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  2. N. D. Ferguson
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Editors and Affiliations

  1. Department of Intensive Care Erasme Hospital, Université libre de Bruxelles, Route de Lennik 808, B-1070, Brussels, Belgium

    Jean-Louis Vincent (Head) (Head)

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© 2009 Springer-Verlag Berlin Heidelberg

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Quiroz Martinez, H., Ferguson, N.D. (2009). Life-threatening Asthma: Focus on Lung Protection. In: Vincent, JL. (eds) Yearbook of Intensive Care and Emergency Medicine. Yearbook of Intensive Care and Emergency Medicine, vol 2009. Springer, Berlin, Heidelberg. https://doi.org/10.1007/978-3-540-92276-6_36

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  • DOI: https://doi.org/10.1007/978-3-540-92276-6_36

  • Publisher Name: Springer, Berlin, Heidelberg

  • Print ISBN: 978-3-540-92275-9

  • Online ISBN: 978-3-540-92276-6

  • eBook Packages: MedicineMedicine (R0)

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