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 centers. Definition. Ambulatory surgery centers (ASCs) are medical facilities that specialize in elective same-day or outpatient surgical procedures. They do not offer emergency care. The word ambulatory comes from the Latin verb ambulare , which means to walk..
A Study in Quality: Ambulatory Surgery Centers vs. Hospital Outpatient Departments. There has been a recent trend for more and more surgeries to take place in ambulatory surgery centers (ASCs). In fact according to the Medicare Payment Advisory Commission, in 2004 up to 70% of surgeries took place in these ASCs. Do ASCs offer better quality surgical procedures than Hospital Outpatient Departments (HOPD)?