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.
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)?