Recognition and Management of Acute Asthma and COPD Exacerbations N624

Course Summary

Acute exacerbations of asthma and chronic obstructive pulmonary disease (COPD) are potentially life-threatening events marked by worsening respiratory symptoms, airflow limitation, and impaired gas exchange. Prompt recognition, accurate severity assessment, and timely intervention are critical to prevent respiratory failure and adverse outcomes. While asthma and COPD exacerbations share overlapping clinical features, differences in underlying pathophysiology, triggers, and treatment response require condition-specific management strategies. This review summarizes key principles of recognition, clinical course, and evidence-based treatment of acute asthma and COPD exacerbations, emphasizing early identification of high-risk features, appropriate use of pharmacologic and ventilatory therapies, and timely escalation of care.

Course Format

Homestudy

Course Syllabus

• I. Introduction
• II. Acute Asthma Exacerbations
  • 1. Recognition and Severity Assessment
  • 2. Pathophysiology and Clinical Course
  • 3. Treatment and Monitoring of Acute Asthma Exacerbations
  • 4. Acute Asthma Exacerbation Summary
• III. Acute Exacerbations of COPD
  • 1. Recognition and Diagnostic Considerations
  • 2. Pathophysiology and Clinical Course
  • 3. Treatment and Monitoring of COPD Exacerbation
  • 4. Key Takeaway Points: Management of Acute COPD Exacerbations
• IV. Key Differences and Clinical Pearls
• V. Case Study: Use of ECMO in Near-Fatal Asthma
  • 1. Background
  • 2. Case Presentation
  • 3. Discussion
• VI. Summary

Authors

Richard Daniels, PharmD, BCPS

Richard “Cole” Daniels earned his Doctor of Pharmacy(PharmD) from the Skaggs School of Pharmacy at the University of Montana in 2018. Throughout pharmacy school he completed a 3-year internship at Community Medical Center in Missoula, Montana in which he gained valuable experience in an acute care setting. Cole currently serves as a psychiatric clinical staff pharmacist at the Montana State Hospital. He has over 11 years of pharmacy experience having worked in several settings including retail, acute care, and inpatient psychiatric care. Cole has a diverse set of interests. However, acute care medicine, infectious disease, pain management, and asthma/COPD are a primary focus of his at the Montana State Hospital. He obtained board certification as a certified pharmacotherapy specialist in the Spring of 2022.

Elisabeth Gordon, BScPharm, RPh

Elisabeth Gordon earned her BSc(Pharm) from the University of British Columbia in 2004. After graduation, she worked in community retail pharmacies on Vancouver Island, before returning to her rural hometown of Salmon Arm. In 2016 and 2017, Elisabeth trained with Pallium Canada and Victoria Hospice to enhance her knowledge of end-of-life-care and palliative services. She is a volunteer medical supervisor for T1DOutreach, a peer support platform for adults living with type 1 diabetes, and a member of a Canadian peer support group for adults living with Birdshot Uveitis. Elisabeth enjoys working in a small, fast-paced rural pharmacy where she brings compassion and empathy to her everyday practice.