• P Gerson and G Orliaguet.
• Département d'anesthésie-réanimation chirurgicale, CHU Necker-Enfants-Malades, 149, rue de Sèvres, 75743 Paris 15, France.
• Ann Fr Anesth Reanim. 2003 Jul 1; 22 (7): 642-7.

AbstractDiagnosis of an acute obstructive dyspnea in children is very difficult, especially in the prehospital setting, because there are many possible causes. However, some of them may rapidly become life-threatening and therefore require a rapid prehospital management by a team staffed by a physician. The main causes of acute dyspnea in children usually include: obstructive dyspnea (acute laryngitis, foreign body aspiration, bronchiolotis, acute asthma), pulmonary infections and cardiac dyspnea, as well as dyspnea from other origins (cardiovascular collapse, hyperthermia, acidosis, intoxication, deshydratation). Following the assessment of the severity of the illness, the prehospital management should aimed at restoring an optimal oxygenation, before initiating a treatment adapted to the cause of the disease.

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