Title: Hospitalization for Severe Asthma
Headings: Hospitalization for Severe Asthma
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Hospitalization for Severe Asthma
In this Article
Check Your Asthma Action Plan
What to Expect at the Hospital
Treatments

Content: Hospitalization for Severe Asthma
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Hospitalization for Severe Asthma
Reviewed by Jennifer Robinson, MD on November 19, 2020
In this Article
Check Your Asthma Action Plan
What to Expect at the Hospital
Treatments
Tests
Hospital Stay
Going Home
Prevent Future Emergencies
Whether your asthma is severe or usually well under control, you sometimes may find it very hard to breathe. An asthma attack that doesn’t get better even with a rescue inhaler can turn into a life-threatening emergency. But how can you tell if an asthma attack is bad enough to go to the hospital, and what can you expect once you get there? Check Your Asthma Action Plan
The plan you wrote with your doctor to help control your asthma does more than tell you what medications to take. It also lists the symptoms to watch for and when to call your doctor or go to the ER if they get worse. You should call 911 or get to a hospital right away if you: Have wheezing or shortness of breath that doesn’t get better when you use your rescue inhaler
Are so short of breath you can’t talk or walk normally
Have blue lips or fingernails
Take more than 25-30 breaths a minute
Need to strain your chest muscles to breathe
Have a heartbeat higher than 120 beats per minute
Very few people need a hospital stay for asthma treatment. It’s more likely to be necessary if you: Have had a bad asthma attack before
Went to the ER or stayed in the hospital because of your asthma within the last 10 days
Got diagnosed with asthma after age 40
Take steroid medications regularly to control your asthma
Use your rescue inhaler more than twice a month
Have other long-term health problems, such as heart or lung disease
What to Expect at the Hospital
Emergency room doctors will decide whether you can be treated and released or whether to admit to you the hospital. They’ll examine you, note your symptoms, and test your lungs.