A 26-year-old woman had a life-threatening attack of status asthmaticus at 12.5 weeks of pregnancy. Subsequently, an apparently normal male infant was born at full-term.

BACKGROUND AND PURPOSE The purpose of this study was to analyze the clinical course and outcomes of children with status asthmaticus treated in a pediatric intensive care unit (PICU) in Taiwan. METHODS The medical charts of all patients aged from 2 to 18 years with status asthmaticus who were admitted to the PICU National Taiwan University Hospital, Taipei, Taiwan, from 1990 to 2006 were revi...

www.chestpubs.org aminophylline for status asthmaticus in the PICU (e-Appendix 1 ). The survey was distributed three times at 3-week intervals, and responses were anonymous. The study protocol and questionnaire were approved by the Vanderbilt University institutional review board (protocol No. 101136). Responses were received from 39 of the surveyed program directors (67%). Twenty-three of thos...

BACKGROUND Inflammation is a major component in the pathogenesis of asthma. CD14 is an endotoxin (lipopolysaccharide) receptor, and is expressed mainly on monocytes and macrophages. Binding of LPS to CD14 activates the monocyte or macrophage and causes the release of different cytokines. The soluble form of CD14 is present in serum, and its concentration increases in several clinical conditions...

The case is reported of a 28 year old woman with status asthmaticus unresponsive to three days of maximal medical treatment. Resolution of bronchospasm was achieved with an infusion of the intravenous anaesthetic agent ketamine.

A case of status asthmaticus was associated with cardiorespiratory arrest, illustrating rarely reported complications of ventilatory therapy including tension pneumomediastinum and coronary air embolization. Proposed pathophysiologic mechanisms and recommendations for surgical management are discussed.

Serum theophylline concentration was measured in children both during treatment of status asthmaticus with intravenous aminophylline, and as outpatients while they were taking oral theophylline compounds for long-term management of asthma. The clinical value of the measurements was assessed. Measurement using high-pressure liquid chromatography is simple and requires only a small volume of bloo...