Pediatric Bronchospasm

Excerpt

Bronchospasm characteristically presents as smooth muscle constriction of the small airways. Clinically this manifests as wheezing. The pediatric population is more susceptible to disease and complications from bronchospasm due to children’s unique anatomy. Infants use different lung mechanics compared to older children, making them more prone to wheezing. Flow obstruction is affected by the airway diameter as well as lung and chest wall compliance. In the application of Poiseuille’s Law to the airways, airflow resistance through a tube is inversely related to the radius of the tube to the fourth power. Therefore, even minute decreases in the airway radius can result in significant flow impediment due to high resistance.