Arch Bronconeumol. 2013;49(4):146–150 w ww.archbronconeumol.org Original Article Characteristics of Asthma Patients Admitted to an Intermediate Respiratory Care Unit  Belén Nú˜ nez, a Federico Fiorentino, a Ana Kersul, a Sonia Belda, a Susana García, a Catalina Gutiérrez, a Ernest Sala, a,b Borja Cosío a,b,∗ a Servicio de Neumología, Hospital Son Espases, Palma de Mallorca, Spain b CIBER en Enfermedades Respiratorias (CIBERES), Spain a r t i c l e i n f o Article history: Received 11 September 2012 Accepted 30 November 2012 Available online 16 March 2013 Keywords: Asthma exacerbation Intermediate respiratory care unit Non-invasive ventilation a b s t r a c t Introduction: Intermediate respiratory care units (IRCU) provide continuous monitoring and non-invasive mechanical ventilation (NIMV) in patients with severe respiratory failure who are usually admitted to intensive care units (ICUs). The usefulness of IRCU in managing severe asthma exacerbations has never been evaluated. Methods: Clinical data were prospectively and systematically compiled from patients admitted to the IRCU with a principal diagnosis of bronchial asthma exacerbation. We assessed therapeutic failure (intu- bation or exitus) and patient evolution up until 6 months after discharge compared with a group of patients admitted to a conventional hospital ward, paired for age and sex, and with the same principal diagnosis. Results: A total of 74 asthma patients were included (37 admitted to IRCU and 37 to the hospital ward) with a mean age (±SD) of 58 ± 20, who were predominantly women (67%), with previous diagnosis of asthma and persistent asthma treatment. The main cause of admittance to the IRCU was severe respiratory failure. The patients who were admitted to the IRCU presented more radiological affectation (alveolar infiltrates) and had significantly higher pCO 2 . Ten patients admitted to the IRCU required non-invasive mechanical ventilation (NIMV). There were no differences between the two groups regarding either therapeutic failure or the 6-month follow-up after discharge. Conclusions: Patients with severe asthma exacerbations can be managed in an IRCU while avoiding hospi- talization in an ICU and demonstrating a prognosis similar to milder exacerbations treated in conventional hospital wards. © 2012 SEPAR. Published by Elsevier España, S.L. All rights reserved. Características de pacientes asmáticos ingresados en una unidad de cuidados respiratorios intermedios Palabras clave: Agudización del asma Unidad de cuidados respiratorios intermedios Ventilación no invasiva r e s u m e n Introducción: Las unidades de cuidados respiratorios intermedios (UCRI) permiten la monitorización continua y la ventilación mecánica no invasiva (VMNI) en los pacientes con insuficiencia respiratoria grave que habitualmente ingresan en Unidades de Cuidados Intensivos (UCI). La utilidad de las UCRI en el manejo de las agudizaciones graves del asma nunca ha sido evaluada. Métodos: Se recogieron de forma prospectiva y sistemática los datos clínicos de pacientes ingresados en la UCRI con el diagnóstico principal de asma bronquial agudizada, se evaluó el fracaso terapéutico (intubación o éxitus) y su evolución hasta 6 meses tras el alta, comparada con un grupo de pacientes ingresados en planta de hospitalización convencional pareados por edad y sexo, con el mismo diagnóstico principal.  Please cite this article as: Nú˜ nez B, et al. Características de pacientes asmáticos ingresados en una unidad de cuidados respiratorios intermedios. Arch Bronconeumol. 2013;49:146–50. ∗ Corresponding author. E-mail address: borja.cosio@ssib.es (B. Cosío). 1579-2129/$ – see front matter © 2012 SEPAR. Published by Elsevier España, S.L. All rights reserved. Document downloaded from http://www.archbronconeumol.org, day 09/08/2017. This copy is for personal use. Any transmission of this document by any media or format is strictly prohibited.