MECHANICAL VENTILATION IN PATIENTS WITH ACUTE SEVERE ASTHMA

purpose: Acute respiratory failure necessitating intubation and mechanical ventilation in patients with acute severer asthma is relatively uncommon, and there are few data available regarding positive pressure ventilation in critically ill patients with asthma. We therefore decided to evaluate our experience with the use of mechanical ventilation for acute asthma and to critically review previous reports on this subject. patietns and methods: A retrospective analysis of all medical records of patients who required mechanical ventilation for acute severe asthma was performed for the period of 1980 to 1988. Various clinical parameters were reviewed and examined via Fisher's exact test for association with survival. results: Twenty-seven patients who underwent ventilation for a total of 32 episodes of mechanical ventilation comprised our study group. The overall mortality was 22%. A total of 76 complications were documented, including six episodes of baro-trauma. The mean duration of artificial ventilation was 114 hours for nonsurvivors and 77 hours for survivors (p <0.05). conclusion: Although there appears to be a trend toward increased survival after mechanical ventilation for acute asthma, ventilation of critically ill asthmatic patients continues to be a potentially perilous ventures associated with significant morbidity and mortality. © 1990.