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Asthma can be life-threatening and should not be underestimated. Here's what to do in an emergency:
Emergency steps
1. If you're using a reliever and you have an acute attack, administer two puffs.
2. If you have a spacer, use it with the pump, so that the spray can get down deeply into your chest.
3. If the attack is very bad or the above doesn't work, use five to 10 puffs in a row.
4. If this still doesn't work, you need to get to hospital – but remember to take your pump with you and keep giving yourself five to 10 puffs along the way. It's not about how much time you have, it's about how bad the attack is and how you're responding to the treatment.
Get to the closest hospital or clinic if you have any of the following symptoms:
• Wheezing usually loudly or noisy breathing
• Breathing fast (more than 30/minute) or irregular breathing, trying to clear throat
• Unable to speak in sentences
• Anxious look, flared nostrils (with pulse rate higher than 120/min)
• Spaces between ribs visible when sucking in air (more prominent in a child), or your peak flow having dropped below 60%)
• Hunched-over posture
• Paleness or blue colour around mouth, sweating, fatigue
At the clinic or hospital, you'll probably receive the following emergency treatment:
• Oxygen
• More of your inhaled reliever therapy
• Inhaled anticholinergic therapy (a strong bronchodilator)
• Corticosteroid tablets or an injection.
Moderate and mild attacks
In more moderate and mild attacks, which are in fact the more common type, there is:
• Tightness in the chest
• Coughing up of mucus
• A feeling of restlessness and often trouble sleeping
• A wheezing or whistling sound when breathing
In the case of a moderate/mild attack, asthma medicine prescribed for an attack should be taken, as this should open up the airways in the lungs in minutes. If it doesn't work, medical attention should be sought.
In some cases when the attack appears to have eased up, a second wave, which is more dangerous, can hit. This happens when the airways continue to swell, and this can last for days or even weeks. It can also happen even if there are no asthma symptoms and can trigger more attacks as the lungs become more sensitive to other irritants. The second wave often sees asthma sufferers admitted to hospital and given medicine to reduce the swelling in the air tubes and relax the tightened muscles.
Other practical tips
• Know the early warning signs and symptoms. There are usually many warning signs of an impending asthma attack, and one of them is lowered peak flow measurement. You can monitor your condition by regularly checking your peak flow. Other symptoms may not be as obvious.
• You may want to give a list of these symptoms to friends, family and work colleagues, together with an action plan and a written set of instructions on what to do in an emergency. This should be displayed in a prominent place so that everyone knows what to do when an asthma attack occurs. This is of particular importance if you're a high-risk asthmatic with partly or poorly controlled asthma.
• Don’t forget to have the telephone numbers of your doctor and the local hospitals readily available in the event of an emergency.
• Severe asthmatics are also advised to have oxygen at hand and to have measures in place to get to the emergency service at the local hospital as quickly as possible.
• In milder attacks, the sufferer can get relief by using their bronchodilator. If you live far away from medical services, or where transport modalities are not easy to come by, an emergency course of oral cortisone may be commenced. However, consult with your doctor before taking it.
Emergency steps
1. If you're using a reliever and you have an acute attack, administer two puffs.
2. If you have a spacer, use it with the pump, so that the spray can get down deeply into your chest.
3. If the attack is very bad or the above doesn't work, use five to 10 puffs in a row.
4. If this still doesn't work, you need to get to hospital – but remember to take your pump with you and keep giving yourself five to 10 puffs along the way. It's not about how much time you have, it's about how bad the attack is and how you're responding to the treatment.
Get to the closest hospital or clinic if you have any of the following symptoms:
• Wheezing usually loudly or noisy breathing
• Breathing fast (more than 30/minute) or irregular breathing, trying to clear throat
• Unable to speak in sentences
• Anxious look, flared nostrils (with pulse rate higher than 120/min)
• Spaces between ribs visible when sucking in air (more prominent in a child), or your peak flow having dropped below 60%)
• Hunched-over posture
• Paleness or blue colour around mouth, sweating, fatigue
At the clinic or hospital, you'll probably receive the following emergency treatment:
• Oxygen
• More of your inhaled reliever therapy
• Inhaled anticholinergic therapy (a strong bronchodilator)
• Corticosteroid tablets or an injection.
Moderate and mild attacks
In more moderate and mild attacks, which are in fact the more common type, there is:
• Tightness in the chest
• Coughing up of mucus
• A feeling of restlessness and often trouble sleeping
• A wheezing or whistling sound when breathing
In the case of a moderate/mild attack, asthma medicine prescribed for an attack should be taken, as this should open up the airways in the lungs in minutes. If it doesn't work, medical attention should be sought.
In some cases when the attack appears to have eased up, a second wave, which is more dangerous, can hit. This happens when the airways continue to swell, and this can last for days or even weeks. It can also happen even if there are no asthma symptoms and can trigger more attacks as the lungs become more sensitive to other irritants. The second wave often sees asthma sufferers admitted to hospital and given medicine to reduce the swelling in the air tubes and relax the tightened muscles.
Other practical tips
• Know the early warning signs and symptoms. There are usually many warning signs of an impending asthma attack, and one of them is lowered peak flow measurement. You can monitor your condition by regularly checking your peak flow. Other symptoms may not be as obvious.
• You may want to give a list of these symptoms to friends, family and work colleagues, together with an action plan and a written set of instructions on what to do in an emergency. This should be displayed in a prominent place so that everyone knows what to do when an asthma attack occurs. This is of particular importance if you're a high-risk asthmatic with partly or poorly controlled asthma.
• Don’t forget to have the telephone numbers of your doctor and the local hospitals readily available in the event of an emergency.
• Severe asthmatics are also advised to have oxygen at hand and to have measures in place to get to the emergency service at the local hospital as quickly as possible.
• In milder attacks, the sufferer can get relief by using their bronchodilator. If you live far away from medical services, or where transport modalities are not easy to come by, an emergency course of oral cortisone may be commenced. However, consult with your doctor before taking it.
