Sevoflurane administration initiated out of the ED for life-threatening status asthmaticus

Abstract

Status asthmaticus is both a common and dangerous cause of acute dyspnea in the emergency department (ED) setting. Although most cases respond favorably to standard treatment, there are rare cases in which therapy beyond traditional treatment is needed. One of these treatment modalities includes inhalational anesthesia. We present a case in which inhaled sevoflurane was initiated out of the ED for a life-threatening asthma exacerbation refractory to conventional treatment. To our knowledge, this is only the second case to report the use of inhaled anesthetics initiated out of the ED for status asthmaticus and is the first report of its kind to thoroughly detail the respiratory response noted while inhalation anesthesia was being implemented. A brief review of other case reports involving the use of sevoflurane for asthma is included. This case, as well as the others reviewed, illustrates the significant beneficial effect inhaled anesthetics can have on asthma, making this a treatment modality that must be recognized and appreciated by all emergency medicine providers.