Treatment of Acute Asthma Attack

When asthma attack occurs, airways of one’s lungs constrict to the point that inhaling becomes too difficult. There are certain allergens, which are called triggers. Exposure to these triggers, make the breathing difficult in an asthmatics and eventually, cause an acute asthma attack. Anything varying from smoke to strong perfume fragrance could be a triggerer. If a person near you suffers an asthma attack, help him immediately to normalise his situation or he would be choked to death. Read through the treatment of acute asthma attack:

1. If you are around someone, who has an acute asthma attack, make sure you help him or her to sit in a proper position. Lying down does not help breathing process. Therefore, it is better for the person to sit facing upward. If the person is in a position to talk, ask him or her to help you offer help.
2. Asthmatics always carry inhalers with them as they can experience asthma attack at any time by any unknown trigger. Take the inhaler and insert its mouthpiece into the asthmatic’s mouth. Press it down so the puff of medicine delivers into the mouth.
3. Another step that must be taken immediately is the removal of the irritant or the trigger causing the attack. In most cases, asthmatic knows the irritant object so you can ask him or her about it.
4. Use of inhaler does not guarantee that the condition of the asthmatic has stabilized. Even after inhaling the medicine from the inhaler, he or she may have some difficulty in breathing. Therefore, it is better to call an ambulance or take him or her to a hospital. Doctors will administer his or her condition in the emergency room.
5. After hospitalization, doctor can monitor the breathing of the asthmatic using peak flow meters. This equipment monitors the movement of the air from the lungs and determines, in advance, as to when the attack will reappear. While monitoring with peak flow meter, doctor put the patient on medication and oxygen treatment.  
6. For severe asthma attacks, doctors may use additional treatment to stabilize the condition of the asthmatic. Asthmatics are given allergy shots once a week or month to reduce the immune reaction to triggers. Some medications in the form of injections or nasal sprays are used to normalize the breathing. Additional forms of treatment may also include corticosteroids and mechanical ventilation depending on the severity of the attack.
7. Magnesium sulphate is also used for the treatment of an acute asthma attack. It is injected into a vein, but it can also provide relief once inhaled. Magnesium sulphate functions by smoothing the muscle contractions in the lungs. Another benefit of magnesium sulphate is that it has anti-inflammatory properties, which reduce the production of histamine that worsens the severity of asthma attack.

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