The management of acute shortness of breath in young adults.

ABSTRACT

Shortness of breath (SOB), or dyspnoea, is a common presenting symptom in acute care, responsible for 8% of all 999 calls to the ambulance service and ranking as the third most common type of emergency call-(l). It may be associated with significant pathology, so prompt identification and appropriate management are therefore imperative. Although a formal diagnosis guides risk stratification, prognostication and treatment, it must not delay resuscitation. Rather, the management of an acutely short of breath (ASOB) patient must follow an algorithm incorporating simultaneous assessment and resuscitation. This article discusses both of these aspects in some detail, as well as key features in the history and the differential diagnosis, before concluding with some consideration of how the different operational environments in which such patients can present may affect their management.