This site is intended for healthcare professionals

Sign in
Go to /sign-in page

You can view 5 more pages before signing in

Life threatening asthma in general practice

Authoring team

On assessment:

  • PEF < 33% of predicted or best
  • SpO2 <92%
  • silent chest, cyanosis or poor respiratory effort
  • arrhythmia or hypotension
  • exhaustion, altered consciousness

Action:

  • arrange immediate ADMISSION to hospital
  • stay with the patient until the ambulance arrives

Treatment:

  • oxygen - to maintain SpO2 94–98%
  • β2 bronchodilator and ipratropium:
    • nebuliser (preferably oxygen driven) (salbutamol 5 mg and ipratropium 0.5mg)
    • or via spacer (give 4 puffs initially and give a further 2 puffs every 2 minutes according to response up to maximum of 10 puffs)
  • prednisolone 40–50 mg or IV hydrocortisone 100 mg immediately

Follow up after treatment or discharge from hospital:

  • GP review within 2 working days
  • monitor symptoms and PEF
  • check inhaler technique
  • provide a written asthma plan
  • modify treatment according to guidelines for chronic persistent asthma
  • address potentially preventable contributors to admission

Reference:

Create an account to add page annotations

Create a free account

Annotations allow you to add information to this page that would be handy to have on hand during a consultation. E.g. a website or number. This information will always show when you visit this page.

The content herein is provided for informational purposes and does not replace the need to apply professional clinical judgement when diagnosing or treating any medical condition. A licensed medical practitioner should be consulted for diagnosis and treatment of any and all medical conditions.

Connect

Copyright 2024 Oxbridge Solutions Limited, a subsidiary of OmniaMed Communications Limited. All rights reserved. Any distribution or duplication of the information contained herein is strictly prohibited. Oxbridge Solutions receives funding from advertising but maintains editorial independence.