Evaluation of treatment of the exacerbation of asthma and wheezing in a pediatric emergency department

OBJECTIVES: To evaluate the treatment of wheezing and exacerbation of asthma in a pediatric emergency unit (ED), comparing it to that recommended by the guidelines for this purpose. METHODS: Descriptive cross-sectional study through medical records survey of children and adolescents (0-15 years of age) who received medication for wheezing or asthma exacerbation from January to April 2015 in the ED. The selected treatment was compared to that recommended by the guidelines, being analyzed the variables related to the medication (number and dose of short-acting beta 2 agonist, associated or not with anticholinergic, oral or parenteral corticosteroid) and the length of stay in ED (<= 1 h, >= 8 h and hospital admission). RESULTS: One-thousand eleven patients were selected with 56.7% between 3 and 15 years and 56% male. Although the selected drugs were in accordance with what was recommended, errors were observed in relation to dose, drug of choice, and method and time of use with the most frequent finding being incorrect dose (short-acting beta 2 agonist: 66% and ipratropium bromide: 95.2%). CONCLUSION: The level of use of the measures recommended by the guidelines was low but compatible with other studies, leading to an increased risk of treatment failure and higher costs. Despite wide dissemination, the established concepts have not been sufficiently incorporated into clinical practice, suggesting the need for more effective educational actions for this process to occur.