The investigators hypothesize that albuterol delivered with a breath-enhanced nebulizer will lead to statistically greater improvement in FEV1 when compared to an equivalent dose delivered via a standard t-piece nebulizer. The primary aim will be to study changes in forced expiratory volume in one second (FEV1) in patients presenting to an urban pediatric emergency department with a moderate to severe acute asthma exacerbation when utilizing these two nebulizers. Secondary aims will include evaluation of hospital admission rates, emergency department (ED) length of stay (LOS), changes in asthma severity scores, vital sign changes, medication side effects, and total quantity of albuterol given in the ED. A distal aim of the study will be to perform a cost analysis; though the investigators will likely need further clinical trials utilizing multiple dose administration in order to accurately analyze cost.
