Characteristics of Patients with Asthma Attack Followed in the Intensive Care Unit

Objective: Asthma attack is a critical reason for morbidity and mortality if not treated effectively at the right time. Data about the efficiency of noninvasive and invasive mechanical ventilation (NIV, IMV) in respiratory failure due to asthma attacks are scant. The aim of this study was to investigate the relationship between asthma-related factors, medical and NIV/IMV treatments received in the Intensive Care Unit (ICU), and the mortality rates and length of hospital stay, in asthma attacks. Methods: The characteristics of patients with severe asthma treated in Hacettepe University Medical ICU for a ten-year period were analyzed from patient records retrospectively. The association between age, sex, comorbidities, asthma duration, treatment, adherence to the treatment, the effectiveness of NIV/IMV treatment if performed, and asthma attack severity, length of hospital stay, and mortality were investigated. Results: A total of 22 patients were included in this study. In addition to medical treatment, eight (36.6%) patients received NIV, five (22.7%) received invasive mechanical ventilation (IMV), and five (22.7%) patients had both. Four (18.1%) patients died in the ICU. There was no significant relationship between these parameters and length of hospital stay and mortality. The relationship between baseline PaCO2, pH, and HCO3 and the difference of PaCO2, pH, and HCO3¯ changes were significant, indicating the correct and effective use of NIV/IMV. Conclusion: NIV applications, which have been proven to be effective in hypercapnic respiratory failure, were also found to be effective in hypoxemic respiratory failure due to asthma attacks. The absence of a relationship between the investigated parameters and mortality revealed that the reasons for the mortality might be infections or comorbidities, not the respiratory tract.