What Is an Asthma Attack?
An asthma attack is a sudden worsening of symptoms of asthma and are the earliest signs that your asthma is worsening.
In general, these early asthma plan:
- Sit them upright comfortably and loosen tight clothing.
- If the person has asthma medication, such as an inhaler, help them take it.
- If the person doesn’t have an inhaler, use one from a first aid kit. Do not borrow someone else’s. The medicine in it may be different than the needed rescue medicine. Also, using someone else’s inhaler has a slight risk of passing on an infection.
2. Use an inhaler with a spacer, if possible.
- Remove the cap and shake the inhaler well.
- Insert the inhaler into the spacer.
- Have the person breathe out completely and put their mouth tightly around the spacer mouthpiece.
- Press the inhaler once to deliver a puff.
- Have the person breathe in slowly through their mouth and hold their breath for 10 seconds.
- Give a total of four puffs, waiting about a minute between each puff.
3. Use an inhaler without a spacer, if necessary.
- Remove the inhaler cap and shake well.
- Have the person breathe out all the way and seal their lips tightly around the inhaler mouthpiece.
- As the person starts to breathe in slowly, press down on the inhaler one time.
- The person should keep breathing in as slowly and deeply as possible (about 5 to 7 seconds) and then hold their breath for 10 seconds.
- Give a total of four puffs, waiting about 1 minute between each puff.
4. Continue using the inhaler if breathing is still a problem.
- After four puffs, wait 4 minutes. If the person still has , give another set of four puffs.
- If there’s still little or no improvement, give four to eight puffs every 20 minutes until the ambulance arrives, for up to 4 hours. If you are still waiting for help after 4 hours, the recommended dose is four to eight puffs as needed every 1 to 4 hours.
5. Monitor the person until help arrives.
- Do not mistake drowsiness as a sign of improvement; it could mean asthma is getting worse.
- Do not assume that the person’s asthma is improving if you no longer hear wheezing.
6. Follow up.
- An emergency room doctor will check the severity of the attack and give treatment, including medications.
- The person may be sent home or stay in the hospital for further care, depending on their response to treatment.