. Author manuscript; available in PMC: 2013 Mar 18.

Published in final edited form as: Semin Respir Crit Care Med. 2011 Oct 11;32(5):607–625. doi: 10.1055/s-0031-1287870

Table 1.

Features of Severe Asthma⁵⁴

Near-Fatal Asthma	Life-Threatening Asthma	Acute-Severe Asthma
RESPIRATORY	RESPIRATORY	RESPIRATORY
Hypercapnea	Normocapnia	Inability to complete sentences
Need for ventilation with raised airway pressures	Hypoxia	Respiratory rate ≥ 25
	Cyanosis	Peak expiratory flow rate 30–50% best or predicted
	Silent chest	CIRCULATORY
	PEF (peak expiratory flow) 33% best or predicted CIRCULATORY	Heart rate ≥ 110
	Arrhythmia
	Hypotension
	NEUROMUSCULAR
	Altered consciousness
	Exhaustion