Severe asthma attack ... best action to take?
Had a problem recently where I had to deal with a woman in severe respiratory distress from an asthma attack. Luckily, one of Perth's main ambulance bases is a mere two minutes away and they were on the scene very quickly so the problem was solved.
However, it occurs to me that it would be a very difficult thing to deal with if no expert assistance was nearby and I'd like to know what is the best thing to do (in case of future incidents) while waiting for the ambulance.
The woman had self-medicated with ventalin to no effect
and was severely distressed, shaking and turning distinctly bluish. I need to know what is the appropriate action in these cases when asthma gets to this severe stage, so your advice would be appreciated.