Study objective To assess how patients with respiratory acidosis from acute severe asthma
respond to helium-oxygen (heliox) mixtures. Design Consecutive case series. Setting Urban
community teaching hospital. Patients Over a 2-year period, 12 asthmatics (mean age,
33.8±11.3 years) presented to the emergency department with acute respiratory acidosis
(pH< 7.35 and PaCO 2≥ 45 mm Hg). All 12 patients were treated with heliox (60 to 70%
helium/30 to 40% oxygen). Five patients received heliox through a ventilator and seven …