Treatment of acute asthmatic attacks in a holding unit of a pediatric emergency room.

Four hundred and thirty-four children diagnosed as asthmatics in an emergency room were studied to evaluate the usefulness of treatment in a holding unit to minimize hospitalizations for the treatment of status asthmaticus and to facilitate early institution of effective therapy. Three hundred and twenty-eight children (76%) improved sufficiently following subcutaneous injections of epinephrine to be sent home. Of the remaining 106 patients, 71 were discharged after further therapy. Four of the patients discharged returned within one week requiring further therapy and eventual admission to the hospital. The average cost of hospitalization for 35 patients eventually admitted was more than five times the average cost of care for those treated only in the holding unit, and hospitalization for 24 hours would have more than doubled the cost of care for those discharged from the holding unit.