Managing asthma and COPD in patients with cardiovascular disease

Sideris et al followed 91 patients aged 25 to 82 (mean age 55) with respiratory failure due to severe asthma, emphysema, or chronic bronchitis. They found that patients with ventricular arrhythmias were significantly older than those without them. Although arrhythmias associated with myocardial infarction are managed primarily with drug therapy, those associated with acute respiratory failure respond best to adequate oxygenation and correction of metabolic and hemodynamic abnormalities.