Status asthmaticus is a medical emergency. It is an acute refractory asthma attack that has not responded to rigorous therapy with B-adrenergic compounds or intravenous theophylline. Patients present with a dramatic picture of acute anxiety, markedly labored breathing, tachycardia, and diaphoresis. Deterioration of pulmonary function results in alveolar hypoventilation with subsequent hypoxemia,
hypercapnia and academia. A rising PaO2 in a patient with an acute asthmatic attack is often the first objective indication of status asthmaticus.