Asthma Resources and Research

Below is information with links to resources and research you may find helpful when treating asthmatic patients:

Frequently Used Family Education Handouts

• Asthma Equipment Cleaning Instructions (.pdf) (Also in Spanish)
• Home Nebulizer Treatments (.pdf) (Also in Spanish)
• Metered Dose Inhalers with Optichamber (.pdf) (Also in Spanish)
• Peak Flow Meter (.pdf) (Also in Spanish)
• Inhaled Bronchodilators (short acting) (.pdf) (Also in Spanish)
• Inhaled Steroids (.pdf) (Also in Spanish)
• Leukotriene Modifiers (.pdf) (Also in Spanish)
• Asthma Action Plan (.pdf) (Also in Spanish )

How to Refer Patients to the Asthma Clinic

• You may refer patients to our asthma clinic with a form on The Children’s Hospital website
• You may have the family call the hospital at (720) 777-1234 and ask for the Appointment Center. They should state that they have an asthma referral.
• For patients that need to be seen urgently for asthma care, you may call Pulmonary Medicine at (720) 777-6181 and ask for the asthma nurse. This option is meant to be used by physicians or healthcare staff only.

High-Risk Asthmatics

The Children’s Hospital offers a high-risk asthma clinic for patients who have a diagnosis of asthma. These are children who have been to the emergency room or have been hospitalized twice or more in 12 months for asthma, a combination of the two, or have had one ICU admission for asthma.   Our asthma program provides comprehensive education to the families about asthma, provides trigger identification (allergen skin-testing if age-appropriate), and evaluation including Spirometry before and after Albuterol. The Children’s Hospital staffs this clinic with asthma specialists, an asthma-educator certified nurse, and two respiratory therapists specialized in asthma. 

For Spanish-speaking patients, we have a Spanish-speaking physician and respiratory therapist who are part of this asthma team.

Clinical Care Guidelines and Online Resources

Read The Children's Hospital's clinical care guidelines for asthma

Clinical Care Guidelines for Colorado (CCGC): Read the latest CCGC guidelines

Global Initiative for Asthma (GINA): Read the latest GINA guidelines

National Asthma Education and Prevention Program (NAEPP): Read the 2007 NAEPP guidlines

Colorado Asthma Coalition

Recent Asthma Research

• Advances in pediatric asthma 2006. Szefler, S. J Allergy Clin Immunol. 2007 Mar;119(3):558-62. Epub 2007 Jan 30. Review. PMID: 17270259 [PubMed - indexed for MEDLINE]
• Advances in adult and pediatric asthma. Apter AJ and Szefler S. J Allergy Clin Immunol. 2006 Mar;117(3):512-8. Review. PMID: 16522448 [PubMed - indexed for MEDLINE]
• Long-term comparison of 3 controller regimens for mild-moderate persistent childhood asthma: the Pediatric Asthma Controller Trial. Sorkness CA, Lemanske RF Jr, Mauger DT, Boehmer SJ, Chinchilli VM, Martinez FD, Strunk RC, Szefler SJ, Zeiger RS, Bacharier LB, Bloomberg GR, Covar RA, Guilbert TW, Heldt G, Larsen G, Mellon MH, Morgan WJ, Moss MH, Spahn JD, Taussig LM; the Childhood Asthma Research and Education Network of the National Heart, Lung, and Blood Institute. J Allergy Clin Immunol. 2007 Jan;119(1):64-72. Epub 2006 Nov 30. PMID: 17140647 [PubMed - indexed for MEDLINE]
• Long-term inhaled corticosteroids in preschool children at high risk for asthma. Guilbert TW, Morgan WJ, Zeiger RS, Mauger DT, Boehmer SJ, Szefler SJ, Bacharier LB, Lemanske RF Jr, Strunk RC, Allen DB, Bloomberg GR, Heldt G, Krawiec M, Larsen G, Liu AH, Chinchilli VM, Sorkness CA, Taussig LM, Martinez FD. N Engl J Med. 2006 May 11;354(19):1985-97. PMID: 16687711 [PubMed - indexed for MEDLINE]
• Childhood Asthma Management Program: lessons learned. Strunk RC; the Childhood Asthma Management Program Research Group. J Allergy Clin Immunol. 2007 Jan;119(1):36-42. Epub 2006 Nov 27. PMID: 17125822 [PubMed - indexed for MEDLINE]
• Tucson Children's Respiratory Study: 1980 to present. Taussig LM, Wright AL, Holberg CJ, Halonen M, Morgan WJ, Martinez FD.J Allergy Clin Immunol. 2003 Apr;111(4):661-75; quiz 676. Review. PMID: 12704342 [PubMed - indexed for MEDLINE]
• Severe intermittent wheezing in preschool children: a distinct phenotype. Bacharier LB, Phillips BR, Bloomberg GR, Zeiger RS, Paul IM, Krawiec M, Guilbert T, Chinchilli VM, Strunk RC; Childhood Asthma Research and Education Network, National Heart, Lung, and Blood Institute. J Allergy Clin Immunol. 2007 Mar;119(3):604-10. PMID: 17336610 [PubMed - indexed for MEDLINE]
• Perennial allergen sensitisation early in life and chronic asthma in children: a birth cohort study. Illi S, von Mutius E, Lau S, Niggemann B, Gruber C, Wahn U; Multicentre Allergy Study (MAS) group. Lancet. 2006 Aug 26;368(9537):763-70. Erratum in: Lancet. 2006 Sep 30;368(9542):1154. PMID: 16935687 [PubMed - indexed for MEDLINE]
• Environments, indoor air quality, and children. Anderson ME, Bogdan GM. Pediatr Clin North Am. 2007 Apr;54(2):295-307, viii. Review. PMID: 17448361 [PubMed - indexed for MEDLINE]