Improved outcomes for hospitalized asthmatic children using a clinical pathway

Severe Acute Asthma Exacerbation in Children: A Stepwise Approach for Escalating Therapy in a Pediatric Intensive Care Unit

“…2 Severe acute asthma is currently the most common medical emergency in children and is responsible for nearly half a million admissions to the pediatric intensive care unit (PICU) each year. 1,3,4 Different terms have been described for severe acute asthma exacerbation, which include status asthmaticus, near-fatal asthma, sudden asphyxic asthma, and acute fatal asthma. Status asthmaticus refers to an acute asthma exacerbation in which bronchial obstruction is severe and continues to worsen or not improve despite the institution of adequate standard therapy, leading to respiratory failure.…”

“…The severity of asthma can range from mild to severe; however, despite the degree of severity all patients are at risk for developing an acute severe asthma exacerbation. This review is focused on the treatment of acute asthma exacerbation in the pediatric intensive care setting with the application of a stepwise approach according to the severity and progression of the exacerbation, calculated with a pediatric asthma score 1 that has been implemented in our institution, Le Bonheur Children's Hospital, Pediatric Intensive Care.…”

Predictors of Asthma Self-Management Education among Children and Adults—2006–2007 Behavioral Risk Factor Surveillance System Asthma Call-back Survey

“…These studies showed that asthma self-management education was effective in reducing urgent care visits, hospitalizations, and asthma-related healthcare costs. Education also improved health status, quality of life, and medication adherence for both adults and children (5)(6)(7)(8)(9)(10). Despite the extensive research examining the effectiveness of asthma self-management education, a limited number of studies examined which components of asthma education were provided, to whom, and how often.…”

An Innovative Childhood Asthma Score Predicts the Need for Bronchodilator Nebulization in Children With Acute Asthma Independent of Auscultative Findings

“…The development of a clinical pathway for children with acute asthma is worthwhile because it has been demonstrated that the implementation of structured care reduces hospital stay without increased morbidity. 8,13 Although several asthma scores have been developed and proven useful in clinical pathways, 1-7 all of these pediatric asthma scores require auscultation of the lungs to score the degree of wheezing or air entry. This implies that all health-care providers should be trained to auscultate the lungs.…”

“…Indeed, it has been demonstrated that the use of an asthma score in a clinical pathway for acute asthma reduced the hospital stay without increased morbidity. 8,9 However, the currently available pediatric asthma scores require auscultation of the lungs to score the degree of wheezing or air entry. Auscultation requires adequate training to minimize subjectivity.…”