REBEL Core Cast – Basics of EM – Asthma

Take Home Points

• Wheezing can be absent when severe – be wary of the silent chest = impending respiratory failure
• Not everything that wheezes is asthma! Beware of mimics – COPD, CHF, anaphylaxis, stridor
• Consider dexamethasone in those with poor compliance – has equal efficacy to prednisone
• Refill all meds prior to discharge
• MDI with a spacer is equally as effective as a nebulizer! Make sure they know how to use it
• Most patients won’t fall into normal peak flow categories – this can only be applied to those who REALLY know their baseline to use it as a reference for effective treatment
• Bounce backs – why are they worse after the usual treatment?? Why didn’t the usual therapy work? Think outside the box and take the eval to the next level

REBEL Core Cast – Basics of EM – Asthma

Click here for Direct Download of the Podcast

Co-Host

David O. Andonian, MD, MPH
Program Director
Emergency Medicine Residency Program
SUNY Upstate Medical University, Syracuse NY
Email: andoniad@upstate.edu
Instagram: drketonian
Twitter: @David Andonian

Post Peer Reviewed By: Anand Swaminathan, MD (Twitter: @EMSwami)