Prolonged isoflurane anesthesia in status asthmaticus

We report a case of status asthmaticus that was unresponsive to the usual agents. The use of an inhalational anesthetic agent allowed us to ventilate the patient with lower inspiratory pressures; however, lasting improvement did not occur until she mobilized large quantities of secretions. To our knowledge, this is the first clinical report on the use of isoflurane anesthesia to treat severe asthma. Despite prolonged administration, there were no significant side-effects. This case demonstrates both the benefits and limitations of such therapy.