10-13-2010, 10:47 AM
A 31-year-old woman presents to the emergency department with three hours of shortness of breath. She had been walking her dog this afternoon and had not been outside for more than a few minutes before she began to feel chest tightness, wheezing, and a cough. She has not had any relief from her bronchodilators or steroid inhalers that she uses daily. She states that her daily activities have become affected by frequent episodes of shortness of breath that recur a few times during each week. These attacks can last days at a time, and she is afraid that her current medications are no longer of assistance to her. On physical examination, she has a temperature of 98.8 F, a pulse of 98/min, a blood pressure of 136/90 mm Hg, and a respiratory rate of 23/min. There is some evidence of hyperemia and secretions in the nasal passages bilaterally. She is using her accessory muscles to breathe, and wheezing is audible. Pulmonary function testing reveals an FEV1 of 68% of predicted, with a reduced FEV1/FVC ratio. This increases by 14% after high-dose bronchodilators are administered. Her peak expiratory flow was 158 L/min before bronchodilators were given. Arterial blood gases on room air are: pH 7.36, pCO2 48 mm Hg, and pO2 60 mm Hg. Chest x-ray shows evidence of hyperinflated lungs. The severity of this patient's clinical condition corresponds with which of the following classifications of asthma?
(A) Moderate intermittent
(B) Severe intermittent
© Mild persistent
(D) Moderate persistent
(E) Severe persistent
(A) Moderate intermittent
(B) Severe intermittent
© Mild persistent
(D) Moderate persistent
(E) Severe persistent