A 35-year-old woman is evaluated in an urgent care center for an acute exacerbation of asthma. She has a history of frequent asthma exacerbations requiring unscheduled visits; however, between these exacerbations, her examination and pulmonary function studies have been unremarkable. Her current medications are inhaled budesonide and inhaled albuterol.
On physical examination, she is in moderate distress with audible inspiratory and expiratory wheezing. Temperature is 37.0 °C (98.6 °F), pulse rate is 110/min, and respiration rate is 26/min. Monophonic inspiratory and expiratory wheezing is heard predominantly in the central lung fields. Other than tachycardia, the cardiac examination and remainder of the physical examination are normal.
She receives intravenous methylprednisolone and three nebulized albuterol-ipratropium bromide treatments. On follow-up evaluation 1 hour later, she still has wheezing, tachycardia, and tachypnea and is in moderate respiratory distress. Oxygen saturation is 96% breathing ambient air.
Chest radiograph in patients with acute asthma is not indicated unless the patient does not respond to initial therapy, has severe exacerbations, has clinical evidence of a concurrent illness (such as fever to suggest pneumonia, or crackles and leg edema to suggest heart failure), has evidence of a complication (subcutaneous air, asymmetric breath sounds that may suggest pneumothorax), or requires hospitalization.
Intravenous magnesium sulfate can be considered in acute asthma exacerbations, but it has no role in treating VCD.
There is no indication for antibiotics in this patient even if an acute asthma exacerbation were suspected.
- Potential clues for vocal cord dysfunction include sudden onset and abrupt termination of attacks, lack of response to asthma therapy, prominent neck discomfort, and lack of hypoxemia.