An asthma attack is exactly that - the muscles around the airways and the lining of the air passages tighten. Swelling reduces the amount of air that can pass through the airways and leads to a high-pitched, wheezing sound. Asthma attacks can become life-threatening if the airflow in the lungs becomes severely blocked.
Ambulatory surgery center. Ambulatory surgery centers (ASC), also known as outpatient surgery centers or same day surgery centers, are health care facilities where surgical procedures not requiring an overnight hospital stay are performed.
Ambulatory strictly means the ability to walk but in the context of surgery, it refers to patients who are able to leave the hospital the same day as the surgery, without being admitted. Ambulatory surgery is referred to by other names, commonly called minimally invasive surgery, outpatient surgery or same day surgery.