Contemporary approach to the emergency department management of pediatric asthma.

Asthma continues to be an enormous health problem and economic burden in US society. EDs probably will continue to provide a substantial amount of care for those affected by the disease. Pediatric asthma patients frequently are encountered in EDs. Emergency physicians must remain current in their approach to providing expert care while the management of acute asthma exacerbations continues to evolve, older therapies are challenged and new therapies are developed, tested, and implemented.