HealthCare

Because people with severe asthma commonly have low blood oxygen levels, a doctor may check the level of oxygen either by using a sensing monitor on a finger or ear or by taking a sample of blood from an artery . Supplemental oxygen may be given during attacks. However, in severe attacks, a doctor also needs to monitor carbon dioxide levels, and this test requires a sample of blood from an artery. A doctor may also check pulmonary function, usually with a spirometer or a peak flow meter. Usually, a chest x-ray is needed only in severe asthma attacks. People experiencing very severe asthma attacks may need to have an artificial airway passed through their mouth and throat and be placed on a mechanical ventilator.

Generally, people who have severe asthma are admitted to the hospital if their lung function does not improve after receiving a beta-adrenergic agonist and corticosteroids or if they have a seriously low blood oxygen level or a high blood carbon dioxide level. Intravenous fluids may be needed if the person is dehydrated. Antibiotics also may be needed if a doctor suspects a lung infection; however, most such infections are due to viruses’ for which no treatment exists.
 
Drugs for Preventing or Treating Asthma Attacks
Drugs allow most people with asthma lo lead relatively normal lives. Most of the drugs used to treat an asthma attack can be used to prevent attacks.
Short-acting Beta-adrenergic Agonists: Short-acting beta-adrenergic agonists are usually the best drugs for relieving asthma attacks. They can prevent certain attacks, such as exercise-induced asthma. These drugs are also referred to as bronchodilators because they stimulate beta-adrenergic receptors to widen and dilate  the airways. Bronchodilators that act on all beta-adrenergic receptors throughout the body, such as epinephrine, cause side effects such as rapid heartbeat, restlessness, headache, and muscle tremors. Bronchodilators such as albuterol act mainly on beta2-adrenergic receptors, which are found primarily on cells in the lungs. They have little effect on other organs and thus cause fewer side effects. Most beta-receptor agonists, especially the inhaled ones, act within minutes, but the effects last only 3 to 7 hours. New, longer-acting bronchodilators are available, but because they do not begin to act as quickly, they are used for prevention rather than for attacks of asthma.

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