The use of Borg's modified scale in asthma crises

Abstract

OBJECTIVE: Verify the correlation of the improvement of the degree of dyspnea by BME with improved pulmonary performance verified by Expiratory Flow Peak (EFP) and Peripheral Oxygen Saturation (PO2S). METHODS: Analytical, cross-sectional study with 124 patients during an asthma crisis, who received care at a Pneumology emergency service. Heart rate, respiratory frequency EFP, PO2S were evaluated before and after treatment of asthma crisis, and they were questioned about their perception of dyspnea by BME. RESULTS: In the pre-treatment stage, high scale values were related to low EFP values, inverting this relation after treatment. There was also a slight correlation between EFP, PO2S and the perception of dyspnea measured by the patient through BME. CONCLUSION: The scale does not replace other clinical parameters, and can be used as an additional tool, provided that the patient is correctly informed about the scale values.