Lewis's Medical-Surgical Nursing - E-Book: Assessment and Management of Clinical Problems

Asthma Learning Objective: Describe the etiology, pathophysiology, and clinical manifestations of asthma. Asthma is a diverse disease characterized by bronchial hyperreactivity with reversible expiratory airflow limitation, either spontaneously or with treatment. The clinical course of asthma is unpredictable. It ranges from periods of adequate control to frequent attacks with poor control of symptoms. Signs and symptoms can be variable. For example, there may be mild shortness of breath and chest tightness with a minor asthma attack. In a major asthma attack, severe shortness of breath, accessory muscle use, stridor, and severe hypoxemia appear. Respiratory and/or cardiac arrest can