Select the best response from the answer choices following each question.

1. What are the three underlying etiologies of acute asthma exacerbation?

2. Which of the following is contraindicated during mechanical ventilation of the asthmatic patient?

3. You are assigned by your team leader to give vasopressors intravenously while attempting to revive a cardiac arrest patient secondary to status asthmaticus. Vasopressors are used to:

4. After providing care to a patient with asthma, you perform another PEF/FEV1 and find that the PEF/FEV1 is now 50% and there is some symptomatic relief after 4 hours. You would classify this response as:

5. In the ED, you are asked to rate the severity of a patient with an asthma exacerbation. Oxygen saturation on room air is 88%, respiratory rate is 32 breaths/min with the use of accessory muscles, heart rate is 124 bpm, and the patient is agitated. He is answering your questions using one or two words and is obviously breathless. You would rate the severity of the condition as: