Question

A child is having an asthma attack, and the parent can't remember which inhaler to use for quick relief. The nurse accesses the child's medication information and tells the parent to use which inhalant?

a) Cromolyn sodium
b) Theo-Dur
c) Serevent
d) Proventil

Answer 1

For immediate relief during an asthma attack, the child should use Proventil, a fast-acting bronchodilator. This medication provides quick symptom relief by opening the airways, differing from other types of asthma medications intended for long-term control.

Step-by-step explanation:

A parent seeking quick relief for a child's asthma attack should be advised to use a short-term, fast-acting drug. The correct choice is Proventil, which is an albuterol brand used to relieve symptoms of asthma quickly by acting as a bronchodilator to open airways. The other mentioned inhalants, cromolyn sodium, Theo-Dur, and Serevent, are not designed for immediate relief of asthma symptoms.

Symptoms of an asthma attack can include coughing, shortness of breath, wheezing, and tightness in the chest. Quick relief inhalers like Proventil generally contain albuterol which acts quickly to soothe constricted air passages and help re-expand them, making it easier to breathe.

For chronic management of asthma, longer-term treatments may be prescribed, and these typically include medications such as corticosteroids for long-term control and are taken to prevent asthma attacks from occurring.