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Published on: January 17, 2011
Assisted ventilation in severe childhood asthma
K P Dawson1, K G Hickling, N Mogridge
1Department of Paediatrics, Christchurch Hospital.
Insights
Severe childhood asthma requiring ventilatory support is uncommon but indicates disease severity in New Zealand. Assisted ventilation for acute asthma attacks in children had no fatal outcomes or long-term side effects.
Area of Science:
- Pediatric Pulmonology
- Critical Care Medicine
Background:
- Childhood asthma is a significant public health concern.
- Severe asthma exacerbations necessitate advanced respiratory support.
Purpose of the Study:
- To review the experience with assisted ventilation in severe childhood asthma.
- To assess outcomes of ventilatory support in pediatric asthma patients.
Main Methods:
- Retrospective review of pediatric patients with severe asthma.
- Analysis of cases requiring assisted ventilation over a three-year period.
Main Results:
- One percent of children with acute asthma attacks required ventilatory support.
- No deaths or long-term sequelae were observed from assisted ventilation.
- The incidence highlights the severity of asthma in the pediatric population.
Conclusions:
- Assisted ventilation for severe childhood asthma is safe with no reported mortality or morbidity.
- The frequency of ventilation use underscores the high burden and severity of asthma in New Zealand children.
Abstract:
Our experience of assisted ventilation in severe childhood asthma over a three year period is reviewed. One per cent of children with an acute attack of asthma required ventilatory support during this time. There were no deaths and no long term sequelae resulting from assisted ventilation. The number of children requiring this type of management however, provides further evidence to support the thesis that asthma is not only common but severe in New Zealand.
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