الفهرس 
Introduction and aim of the workOnly 14 pages are availabe for public view
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Abstract
The PS is a simple objective method to assess the severity of an acute asthma exacerbation in children. The score is a composite of physical findings commonly used in the assessment of children with asthma: respiratory rate, wheezing, and accessory muscle use. These three components are easy to obtain in children and require little additional training for ED staff to learn.
The purpose of this study was to evaluate the PS as a measure of severity of airway obstruction in children presenting to the ED for treatment of an acute asthma exacerbation.
This study included 50 cases attended for treatment of an acute asthma exacerbation. They consisted of 29 male and 21 female with age ranging from 5 to 14 years. They were children attending the pediatric emergency department unit (ED), Assiut University Children Hospital, during the period fromNovember,2012 to February, 2013.The Pulmonary score was determined at the time of triage, which was when the child first presented to the ED. We choose this time as this was a standard time for all patients, i.e.the time at which they arrived at the ED. This was also prior to the first dose of bronchodilator. We also extracted data relating to basic demographic details.
The PS is a practical substitute to estimate airway obstruction in children who are too young or too sick to obtain PEFRs. It is simple, cost free and noninvasive that can be used anywhere even in the outdoor clinics to determine severity of asthma exacerbation and the need for hospitalization.
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