By Dominica Sanda

Nature of the medical condition

• Asthma is a medical condition in which the airways become temporarily obstructed. It affects the two most vital organs that lie in the chest, the lungs. So it becomes difficult for the individual to breathe air in and out.

• Inside the lungs, there is a network of small tubes called the airways. The airways carry air in and out of the body, to keep us living. Someone with asthma can have trouble breathing easily. This occurs when a part of their airways become narrower and close up so that air can’t get in or out properly. This then makes people wheeze and be short of breath and their chest begins to feel tight.

Nature of the medical condition continued

• An asthma attack can occur when the airways tighten and close up which obstructs the breathing patter. The airways become very swollen and inflamed, and in some cases a sticky substance called mucas may be produced. Less air gets in and out of the lungs, as the lungs become narrower. The brain then registers that there is too much carbon dioxide in the blood and sends signals to the chest muscles to work harder. The individual’s breathing speeds up but it becomes very inefficient.

Common asthma triggers

Identify the signs and symptoms associated with the

medical conditionThe symptoms of an asthma attack alterfrom each individual but the mainsymptoms and signs to an asthma attackare;• shortness of breath and wheezing• Developing a cough and the production of mucas • Rapid rate of breathing because of the heaving of the chest and the use of neck

muscles to assist each breath. • During an attack the patient is totally disabled, sometimes speech is impossible due to

severe loss of breath. • The individual is often very restless and incapable to lie flat and stay still. Very severe attacks may conclude with dangerous slowing of the respiratory rateand arrest of breathing.

Depending on how severe the individual’s condition is, the individual may be able to participate in normal activities between episodes.

On the other hand, patients who suffer very sever asthma may have to remain cautious.

Apply current primary management techniques for the

medical condition• Many different medicines are available

to treat asthma. Relievers make it easier for the individual to breathe.

• Preventers are taken to reduce the chance of a person having asthma symptoms.

• Reliever medications, called bronchodilators are made to relax the muscle around the airways so that air can get in and out of the lungs more easily. Bronchodilators reduce wheezing, shortness of breath and the tight, uncomfortable feeling in the chest that occur during an asthma attack.

• People with asthma inhale the reliever drug when they have symptoms of an attack. Reliever medications do not reduce inflammation in the airways.

Preventers

Relievers

Apply current primary management techniques for the medical

condition continued• Short acting relievers improve

symptoms such as wheezing almost immediately. Individuals take short acting relievers for immediate relief of symptoms of an asthma attack.

• Long acting relievers don’t provide immediate relief. It usually takes around 15-20minutes before the individual’s airways become wider and their breathing improves. A positive of the long acting reliever is that they last for up to 12 hours whereas the short acting ones don’t. The long acting relievers are mainly used as additional treatment to preventer drugs. Long acting bronchodilators are very useful for people, who wake up at night because of their asthma. The long acting drugs will relieve wheezing and other symptoms all night so that sleep is not disturbed.

Short and long acting relievers

Apply current primary management techniques for the medical

condition continued• There are also anti inflammatory medicines. • There are three main types of these medicines; corticosteroids, non-steroidal

anti-inflammatory drugs and anti-leukotrienes. • Corticosteroids interfere with white blood cells and the way they are activated in

the airways.• Non-steroidal drugs help to steady the white blood cells in the airways when

triggers attack it. • Anti-leukotrienes block the group activity of chemical messengers that bring

white blood cells into the airways and trigger inflammation.

Airways after an asthma attack

Apply current primary management techniques for the medical

condition continued

• If possible, using a spacer would be beneficial. Spacers help to improve the delivery of inhaled medications to the lungs.

• It acts as a holding chamber for medication. They help individuals who suffer asthma to inhale their medication directly into the lower airways, rather than the throat.

With spacer

Without spacer

Management- What do I do?

• In a severe asthma attack call an ambulance immediately.• Sit casualty up and make sure you reassure them.• Give the casualty 4 separate puffs of a reliever medication, if possible use a spacer.

Ask the casualty to take 4 breaths from the space if available after each puff of medication.

• Wait 4 minutes and monitor the victim, if there is little or no improvement repeat the previous step.

• If there is still minor or no improvement call an ambulance and continuously repeat the 3rd step until medical help arrives.

• Lippmann, J. and Natoli, D.(2006) Royal Life Saving. First Aid, a training guide for the management of emergencies.

• Emergency Asthma Management. (14th May 2007). First Aid for Asthma. http://www.nationalasthma.org.au/html/emergency/index.asp