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ASTHMA IN INTENSIVE CARE UNITS
Acute severe asthma may require admission to intensive care units (ICUs), although information on epidemiology and outcome is generally only available from relatively small studies. In this month’s Thorax, Stow and colleagues report on the outcome of people with acute severe asthma admitted to ICUs, using a comprehensive database of ICUs in Australia. The incidence of ICU admissions fell significantly from 1.9% in 1996 to 1.1% in 2003 and over a third received mechanical ventilation in the first 24 h. A decline in mortality was found over this time, even though the severity of the asthma event had increased.
See p 842
AIRWAY SMOOTH MUSCLE CONTRACTION IN ASTHMA
Exaggerated bronchial constriction is a key feature of asthma and may be life threatening. Increased airway smooth muscle is also a characteristic of asthma, although there is little information on …
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