In 1991, the National Heart, Lung and Blood Institute's National Asthma Education Program (NAEP) published "Guidelines for the Diagnosis and Management of Asthma" recommended by an expert panel. This was followed in 1992 by the publication of the "Internal Consensus Report on Diagnosis and Management of Asthma" (ICR). These reports reviewed the current state of knowledge and established the goals of therapy for both chronic asthma and acute exacerbations. This article will provide an update on the research that has been published since those recommendations.
The first NAEP guidelines established three goals for the treatment of acute asthma: Rapid reversal of airflow obstruction, correction of significant hypoxemia, and reduction of the rate of recurrent severe asthma symptoms. The ICR added two additional goals: Restoration of lung function to normal as soon as possible and development of a written plan of action in case of a further exacerbation.
Both reports concluded that these goals could be accomplished best by aggressive use of inhaled selective beta2-agonists and early introduction of systemic corticosteroids (in certain patients at home). The liberal use of low-flow oxygen was considered safe; it often easily corrects the hypoxemia produced by the alveolar hypoventilation and the mismatch in ventilation/perfusion (V/Q) that frequently accompanies acute asthma exacerbations.
