ABSTRACT
Patients with acute exacerbation of asthma who present to an emergency department (ED) may vary widely in the degree of airflow obstruction. The assessment of the severity of airway obstruction and its response to treatment is of paramount importance for the emergency physician. The National Asthma Education and Prevention Program (NAEPP) strongly emphasizes the use of objective measures to determine severity and guide therapy (1). This chapter will discuss various laboratory studies available to the emergency physician to assist in the clinical evaluation of patients with acute asthma exacerbation.
