An asthmatic patient in severe distress with wheezing and dyspnea is admitted to the emergency department and started on albuterol via small-volume jet nebulizer. Which of the following approaches would you recommend to assess this therapy for this patient?
I. Perform arterial blood gas analysis.
II. Continuously monitor the SpO2.
III. Assess breath sounds and vital signs before and after each treatment.
IV. Measure peak expiratory flow rate or forced expiratory volume in 1 second before and after each treatment.

Question

An asthmatic patient in severe distress with wheezing and dyspnea is admitted to the emergency department and started on albuterol via small-volume jet nebulizer. Which of the following approaches would you recommend to assess this therapy for this patient?
I.	Perform arterial blood gas analysis.
II.	Continuously monitor the SpO2.
III.	Assess breath sounds and vital signs before and after each treatment.
IV.	Measure peak expiratory flow rate or forced expiratory volume in 1 second before and after each treatment.

Quizplus · Accepted Answer

All the approaches listed are valid methods to assess the effectiveness of albuterol therapy in an asthmatic patient in severe distress. Arterial blood gas analysis can provide information on the patient's oxygenation and carbon dioxide levels, continuous SpO2 monitoring offers real-time data on oxygen saturation, assessing breath sounds and vital signs before and after each treatment can help determine the clinical response to the therapy, and measuring peak expiratory flow rate or forced expiratory volume in 1 second before and after each treatment can quantitatively assess the improvement in airway obstruction.

An Asthmatic Patient in Severe Distress with Wheezing and Dyspnea