Sascha Franzel, 19-Year-Old CSU Student, Died Of Asthma Attack (UPDATE)

By Associated Press

FORT COLLINS, Colo. -- A 19-year-old Colorado State University student may have died because she inadvertently used her asthma inhaler too much the evening of her death, doctors said.

A candlelight vigil was held at the school for Sascha Franzel, of Honolulu, on Monday following her burial in Commerce City. Franzel was taken to Poudre Valley Hospital on Saturday night where she was pronounced dead after she was found by a roommate.

UPDATE:

The Coloradoan reports that the Larimer County Coroner's Office said Monday that Franzel died of an acute asthma attack and overuse of her asthma inhaler.

Her death was not related to an alcohol overdose, according to 7News. The coroner ruled that Franzel's death was "natural" but did cite other significant conditions including "aspiration of gastric contents" and "Albuterol intoxication" -- Albuterol is a drug that is used to prevent and treat wheezing and other asthma related symptoms.

EARLIER:

Franzel's mother told the newspaper that her daughter suffered from severe asthma and nearly died last November. Sonia Franzel said her daughter carried an epinephrine injector pen with her in case of asthma attacks and that she sustained pulmonary stress on the night that she died.

"We know for sure she had a very bad attack," Sonia Franzel said.

Friends said Sascha Franzel attended a dinner party on Saturday evening but left early because she wasn't feeling well. They said she used her inhaler often at the party but said that wasn't unusual because she would often get excited in social situations.

Franzel was a third-year biology major who had hoped to become a pediatric craniofacial surgeon.

Roommate Rebecca Schwartz said their apartment was a center of socializing and singing.

"She was closest friends with everyone she met," Schwartz said.

More than 200 people turned out for the vigil where many shared memories of Franzel. It lasted for more than two hours.

___

Comments

[nicstepro]

09:31 PM on 09/16/2011

I think the getty pimatene mist inhaler image they are using is misleading. They used it because to idiotmedia all inhalers look alike.

[GaelMc]

04:54 AM on 09/15/2011

What a horrible death, asthma kills. May she RIP and may her family find comfort.

[metusmetu]

11:33 PM on 09/14/2011

Well,.......my inhalator "ProAir HFA" says it is "albuterol sulfate". Says it delivers 90 mcg of albuterol with each actuation, along with hfa 134a, as the propellant, and ethanol! I have been told that I can be busted for DUI, while driving and using this stuff, hasn't happened yet but I do wonder at times what will happen if I have to do the "breath test", and whip out my inhalator and show the cop. It does give you a little buzz after using.
Sorry, for the girl's death.

[yukidongo1]

04:41 AM on 09/15/2011

Funny... I am using Proair, too since they discontinued the rely on, generic ventolin inhalers. Amazing how you can stand the ethanol, but the other is unhealthy for the environment, supposedly, so they were dc'd. All the little dog farts and cow farts and inhalers in the world... Go green. Gas yourself with ethanol. Maybe it keeps you calm and free of panic when your inhaler isn;t working... Sarcasm... Not meant to be a professional comment

[metusmetu]

07:19 PM on 09/16/2011

Yeah, this one is supposed to be "cfc" free.

[yukidongo1]

10:50 PM on 09/14/2011

That is the most ridiculous thing I ever heard in my life... Used her inhaler too much. Can't happen. If it wasn't working, she should have been using something else...another type of inhaler, prednisone, or the epipen and a trip to the ER or her pulmonologist. But, you can't use the inhaler too much, per se, and cause harm or death. Now, it is sometimes theorized that if you use it too much over a long period of time, you can become desensitized to the effects somewhat, and not get as good a result, but it will still by you some time with bronchodilation. If you want to say she died because her asthma was not under proper control, that would be more correct. She needed a long and short acting combination inhaler, and a steroid maintenance inhaler, with some type of allergy control--singular or xolair. I have clawed for air, and prayed for the next breath. God bless this poor girl and her family, but get the story straight.

[thetxsndn]

11:25 PM on 09/14/2011

Actually it ISN'T a rediculous notion. The inhalers (mostly over the counter types) can cause what's called a rebound action when over-used. http://www.webmd.com/asthma/news/20000915/caution-advisable-otc-asthma-inhalers
You're right though that people should be seeing a doctor for prober meds for it.

[yukidongo1]

01:58 AM on 09/15/2011

You are correct... But they don't indicate that it is over the counter, do they? And, I just saw the picture they have with this article on another page of Primatene mist, which is not a rescue inhaler, or one often prescribed by any pulmonologist--and actually none of the ones I work for--to control asthma. I am referring to standard PROTOCOL drugs for asthma, of which I have knowledge. I will tell anyone...don't use over the counter anything without asking a doctor. Eyedrops, "inhalers", peptobismol... They WILL KILL you, and for instance... your child is vomiting, and has a virus. You reach for the pepto. It has ASPIRIN in it--possibly triggering Reye's Syndrome. I commented within the realm of my professional and personal, extensive experience. I do not even consider OTC a valid treatment. They did not say what she was taking. And, having asthma, it is not what she should have been using or what any respectable practitioner wuld have expected her to be using. Common sense from my perspective would mean asthma protocol...not OTC.

[Sumz54]

05:45 AM on 09/15/2011

It's doubtful that she was only using an OTC inhaler for such severe asthma (the article states she almost died last year). She wouldn't even need health insurance to see a doctor because her university would have health services... and would offer cheap student health insurance that she could use to get the proper medications.

[ThinkingHelps]

10:21 PM on 09/14/2011

I can see how this happened, unfortunately. I have allergic asthma, and while it is much better now, I used to have frequent attacks. I overused my inhaler in attempts to handle my shortness of breath, not realizing I was having an attack and was making myself worse.

Not being able to breathe is terrifying, and I wouldn't wish it upon anyone.

I pray for the family and friends who lost this young girl.

[GuddhaVonChuda]

10:15 PM on 09/14/2011

obama said she was a liability. That the parents didn't need a "breathalizer"...

[karen17]

09:45 PM on 09/14/2011

My son has allergic asthma. We have it under control using NAET treatments. He uses his inhaler a few times a year. When he starts getting eczema, I get him to the NAET doctor, who can eliminate his body's reaction, and keep it from building up to an attack.

[Djay0252]

08:39 PM on 09/14/2011

Notice they do not give you the name of the inhaler. I am putting this down and pure speculation and sensationalism on the part of the news media...for now

[pisturi]

08:32 PM on 09/14/2011

Those medications come with clear and precise directions, Read them Also the pharmisist gives you instructions on the use of the drug and dosage !. thats all I have to say except that stuff is powerfull. no lawsuit here.

[nicstepro]

09:23 PM on 09/14/2011

Mine said 'use as needed'...

[vls60]

09:39 PM on 09/14/2011

I yse an inhaler, with specific instructions, use as needed up to 3 times daily. COPD with asthma is difficult to cope with. My heart goes out to the family.

[yukidongo1]

11:11 PM on 09/14/2011

The medication didn't kill her. I am a respiratory/ventilator nurse. I am also recently diagnosed with asthma. You can suck down all the albuterol based inhalers you want and it won't kill you. If she was using the inhaler that often, it was not having the desired effect. She needed a combination long/short acting bronchodilator such as Atrovent or Serevent, and a steroid inhaler like pulmocort or Symbicort, or even Beclovent, in addition to a maintenance treatment for allergies like Singulair or Xolair to stop the attacks at the root. No lawsuit is correct. Overuse of the inhaler is an indication that her asthma was not controlled. No one's fault. Just ignorance of the mechanism by which these things work, and what is required to stop and keep under control these acute attacks.

[valentino1926]

12:59 AM on 09/15/2011

You may be a Respiratory/Ventilator Nurse, but taking too much of any inhaler can lead to death. If you were a Pharmacology Nurse, or someone with a Pharmacology degree, I may pay attention to what you have to say, albeit- you did not state that you are, I think that giving out medical information without the appropriate credentials can be dangerous. By the way....I also have Asthma, as well as COPD, and have done extensive research on these products. Overuse of any medication can be dangerous, if not fatal. I feel for her family at this time, and do agree with the comments that her asthma did not seem to be controlled.

[jamie461]

08:01 PM on 09/14/2011

5,000 people die from asthma every year. It is a serious chronic condition. My daughter and I both have it. So many people think it's a minor problem, but it can obviously be deadly. Anyone who uses an inhaler "all the time" has asthma that is out of control and should be in the care of a specialist. Asthma can be managed well, but it takes effort and specialized care. The average pediatrician or GP really can't provide that, in my experience.

I am very sorry for her family's terrible loss.

[foxissocoollike]

07:47 PM on 09/14/2011

P.S. If your headline in this artlcle quotes from a doctor's theory, the doctor's name should be mentioned. If indeed this was actually stated by a doctor.

[foxissocoollike]

07:33 PM on 09/14/2011

Sounds like her condition was much more serious than thought to be. My prayers are with her family and friends.

[Vince Giordano]

06:53 PM on 09/14/2011

I,m sorry yes this was a tragedy but do you mean to tell me that people don't realize asthma can kill.....haven't you ever seen the news or read in the paper where someone collapsed from an asthma attack...and so naturally your going to blame the doctors or the pharmaceutical company so that a law suit can be filed...I know boooooooooooo...

[jaimekidv]

06:46 PM on 09/14/2011

Ban Inhalers! BAN ASTHMA! (Oh wait...we only save this type of illogical reasoning for guns, alcohol and weed.)

[gamberdm]

06:58 PM on 09/14/2011

That is just stupid. Inhalers are intended to, and 99% of the time save lives. What lives are saved by guns in the hands of just anyone, dope or alcohol? You're a stoner, aren't you?

[lindamom]

06:35 PM on 09/14/2011

I feel terrible about this loss of life due to asthma but it does happen. It makes me angry to know many Dr's. don't tell asthmatics or the parents that this can be a fatal disease. I have seen children and grandma's die from an attack. We hear a person has asthma and say, poor person, oh well there are meds for that. Thank God there are meds, but one bad attack can kill. It's also not cool to use an inhaler to the degree that this victim did but I'm sure she did not know what to do as she could not breathe! Sascha R.I.P. and I hope, if nothing else, this will help bring to light the gravity of what asthma can do and you did not die in vain.

[gamberdm]

07:00 PM on 09/14/2011

lindamom, my 7 year old was disagnosed 2 years ago this month. I worry about her ALL of the time. 6 months ago, the insurance company agreed to a nebulizer which has saved midnight trips to the ER when her inhaler doesn't work. She doesn't always know where her inhaler is and I have had to explain to her that she MUST know where it is at all times or she could be in serious trouble.

[Cheryl Bray]

07:55 PM on 09/14/2011

read on down. lindamom thinks you should just keep her at home.

get her a fannypack to wear all the time she is up and dressed and keep her inhaler in it. Keep a 2nd one beside her bed on a nightstand. Possibly a 3rd one with a school nurse. Good luck. You and your daughter are in my prayers.

[lindamom]

08:52 PM on 09/14/2011

gamberdm, I am sorry that your daughter has asthma and that you are worried all the time. Odds are she will be ok with the right meds and her nebulizer. I know it must be difficult to make a 7-year-old understand how necessary her medicine is when needed. I agree with the rude lady above that you should have more than one inhaler for her at this stage. I have 3. Education is the key to anything so read all you can, don't be scared and know that your daughter will grow and know what she can and can't do. BE WELL, both of you....

[nicstepro]

09:40 PM on 09/14/2011

I have asthma from childhood. i rescue inhaler was enough. When they banned those I went to 3 inhaler meds regularly taken as the new "rescue" inhalers didn't work for me. (I think the only thing the new ones rescue is pharma's pocketbook and FDA's need to control). Docs and pharmacist's actually didn't recommend the new inhalers for children because they propel it into your lungs forcefully, you have to inhale it - hard to do when you are having an attack, impossible in a bad attack. I started buying my inhalers from India as they were the old formulation. Back down to just my rescue inhaler. At least until next year when they stop being made entirely. And Primatene Mist is a lifesaver when I've run out and didn't need a doc's prescription. Now that's being discontinued too. politics trumps people's heath.

[yukidongo1]

11:24 PM on 09/14/2011

They did away with all the good inhalers in the past few years. I may have had some symptoms of allergy or asthma growing up, but the serious mess did not start for me til last year. I, then, couldn't get anyone to listen. I very nearly died. I, too, began buying my inhalers from India. I find they still work, and I can get many of the discontinued formulas that they don't have here anymore. They banned the "good" forceful inhalers because of the EPA--the packed gas that it took to propel the med into the lungs. Don't you just love it. And, Obama care is behind the discontinuance of the emergency inhalers. Brought Pharma on board to support it by promising them a bigger piece of the pie with discontinuance of the reliable cheaper generics. I am watching the havoc it wreaks on my client's (pediatric) families. I know what it is doing to me, too. A nurse friend of mine--asthmatic since childhood keeps telling me to seek out a pulmonologist for my symptoms. I told her the doctor I have is fine. Any doctor can order what I NEED, but I can't afford to buy it any more because one doctor orders it or the other. The cost is outrageous. So, I neb, inhale, prednisone (when acutely inflamed), and at times--claw the air and pray. So far, I've been lucky. I once again reiterate that inhalers will not kill you in ANY amount.

[lindamom]

11:59 PM on 09/14/2011

Wow your story is sad and I, too have had trouble getting the med in my flat lungs a few times and had to go to the hospital. Scary stuff - good luck to us all...