Halothane treatment of severe asthma to avoid mechanical ventilation.

A 41-year-old woman was admitted to the Intensive Care Unit with a severe exacerbation of asthma. She was exhausted despite maximal standard medical treatment. Instead of tracheal intubation and mechanical ventilation a subanaesthetic dose of halothane was delivered in 100% oxygen using a close-fitting face mask. Her bronchospasm resolved within minutes. The argument for using inhaled halothane to avoid tracheal intubation, mechanical ventilation and their side-effects is presented.