For an acute asthma attack, which management step is appropriate if authorized?

For an acute asthma attack, which management step is appropriate if authorized?

• A. Administer bronchodilator
• B. Administer IV antibiotics
• C. Place in Trendelenburg
• D. Instruct to lie flat

Answer: (A)

In an acute asthma attack the airway narrowing is driven by bronchoconstriction, inflammation, and mucus buildup. A fast-acting inhaled bronchodilator directly targets that constricted smooth muscle, relaxing it quickly to reopen the airways. This rapid relief improves airflow, reduces work of breathing, and helps restore ventilation, which is why giving a short-acting bronchodilator—typically via a nebulizer or inhaler with a spacer—is the appropriate management step when authorized. Administering IV antibiotics wouldn’t address the immediate problem of bronchospasm, since infection isn’t the triggering factor in this acute episode. Positioning the patient in Trendelenburg can hinder breathing by restricting chest expansion, and instructing them to lie flat also worsens breathing in respiratory distress. Keeping the patient upright or in a more comfortable, semi-sitting position helps accessory muscles work more efficiently and aids breathing.

In an acute asthma attack the airway narrowing is driven by bronchoconstriction, inflammation, and mucus buildup. A fast-acting inhaled bronchodilator directly targets that constricted smooth muscle, relaxing it quickly to reopen the airways. This rapid relief improves airflow, reduces work of breathing, and helps restore ventilation, which is why giving a short-acting bronchodilator—typically via a nebulizer or inhaler with a spacer—is the appropriate management step when authorized.

Administering IV antibiotics wouldn’t address the immediate problem of bronchospasm, since infection isn’t the triggering factor in this acute episode. Positioning the patient in Trendelenburg can hinder breathing by restricting chest expansion, and instructing them to lie flat also worsens breathing in respiratory distress. Keeping the patient upright or in a more comfortable, semi-sitting position helps accessory muscles work more efficiently and aids breathing.