Anesthetic management of the asthmatic patient

Anesthesia care for patients with asthma requires special preoperative planning and intraoperative strategies to promote a patent airway in patients. This chapter brings together research on the physiology of asthma, as well as studies on the efficacy of various anesthetic drugs in regard to their effects on airway smooth muscle tone. The estimate for the total number of new cases of asthma by 2020, reported by a May Pew Environmental Health Commission, is 29 million persons. As the incidence of asthma continues to increase, especially in children, there must be specific strategies and procedures for treating an asthmatic patient with intraoperative bronchoconstriction, wheezing, and decreased lung resistance.