What should be done if a client with CF experiences acute bronchospasm during exercise?

What should be done if a client with CF experiences acute bronchospasm during exercise?

• A. Stop exercise immediately and suspend all activity.
• B. Monitor symptoms closely and have rescue inhalers available.
• C. Ignore symptoms and continue.
• D. Only monitor after the session ends.

Answer: (B)

Acute bronchospasm means the airways suddenly narrow, making it hard to breathe, which can happen during exercise in people with CF due to airway hyperreactivity. The best approach is to assess the symptoms, use a fast-acting bronchodilator (rescue inhaler) right away, and monitor how symptoms respond. This plan opens the airways quickly and often allows the person to continue activity with caution once breathing improves. Stopping completely is not necessarily required at the first sign if the inhaler and monitoring lead to improvement; doing nothing or waiting until after the session ends can be unsafe. If symptoms are severe, don’t improve after using the inhaler, or there are warning signs (very hard to breathe, inability to speak, lips or face turning blue), stop exercising immediately and seek urgent care. Having the rescue inhaler readily available and a clear plan for monitoring and escalation is the safest, most effective approach.

Acute bronchospasm means the airways suddenly narrow, making it hard to breathe, which can happen during exercise in people with CF due to airway hyperreactivity. The best approach is to assess the symptoms, use a fast-acting bronchodilator (rescue inhaler) right away, and monitor how symptoms respond. This plan opens the airways quickly and often allows the person to continue activity with caution once breathing improves.

Stopping completely is not necessarily required at the first sign if the inhaler and monitoring lead to improvement; doing nothing or waiting until after the session ends can be unsafe. If symptoms are severe, don’t improve after using the inhaler, or there are warning signs (very hard to breathe, inability to speak, lips or face turning blue), stop exercising immediately and seek urgent care. Having the rescue inhaler readily available and a clear plan for monitoring and escalation is the safest, most effective approach.