Just another asthmatic? The many faces of asthma in pediatric transport

The transport of a patient with asthma can range from routine to overwhelming. While the majority of asthmatic patients seen in an emergency department are easily managed with routine therapy, a significant percentage may require increased therapies, interventions, and monitoring not available at the initial institution. We present several cases of pediatric patients requiring transport for continuation or augmentation of initial asthma therapy. Expert commentary is provided by Robert Bolte, MD, one of the early proponents of nebulized β-adrenergic therapy in children. Dr. Bolte is a practicing emergency medicine physician who also served as the Medical Director for the Pediatric Lifeflight transport service in Salt Lake City, Utah. His knowledge of asthma, transport, and emergency medicine is evident in his commentary.