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Published in: Intensive Care Medicine 6/2006

01-06-2006 | Pediatric Brief Report

Isoflurane therapy for severe refractory status asthmaticus in children

Authors: Venkat Shankar, Kevin B. Churchwell, Jayant K. Deshpande

Published in: Intensive Care Medicine | Issue 6/2006

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Abstract

Objective

To describe the use of inhaled isoflurane in a series of children with life-threatening asthma.

Design

Retrospective case series.

Setting

Pediatric intensive care unit of a tertiary-care children's hospital.
Ten children ranging in age from 1 to 16 years with 11 episodes of severe asthma requiring invasive mechanical ventilation in the pediatric intensive care unit over a 5-year period.

Results

Isoflurane resulted in an improvement in arterial pH and a reduction in partial pressure of arterial carbon dioxide (PaCO2) in all the 11 instances. This effect was sustained in 10 cases and led to clinical improvement and rapid weaning from mechanical ventilation. One child failed to show sustained response and was placed on veno-venous extracorporeal membrane oxygenation. One child died secondary to anoxic brain injury sustained prior to hospitalization. Hypotension was the major side effect, and occurred in 8 children necessitating vasopressor support.

Conclusions

Isoflurane improves arterial pH and reduces partial pressure of arterial carbon dioxide in mechanically ventilated children with life-threatening status asthmaticus who are not responsive to conventional management.
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Metadata
Title
Isoflurane therapy for severe refractory status asthmaticus in children
Authors
Venkat Shankar
Kevin B. Churchwell
Jayant K. Deshpande
Publication date
01-06-2006
Publisher
Springer-Verlag
Published in
Intensive Care Medicine / Issue 6/2006
Print ISSN: 0342-4642
Electronic ISSN: 1432-1238
DOI
https://doi.org/10.1007/s00134-006-0163-0

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