A patient experiencing wheezing during an asthma attack is likely having difficulty with which action?

In the context of an asthma attack, wheezing is primarily associated with difficulty during exhalation. When a patient experiences an asthma attack, the airways become inflamed and narrowed, leading to difficulty in expelling air from the lungs. This narrowing results in the characteristic wheezing sound as the patient tries to breathe out.

During exhalation, the increased resistance in the airways prevents air from flowing freely, causing a wheezing sound due to turbulent airflow. While inhalation is also affected during an asthma attack, the specific sound of wheezing is more prominent and typically indicative of the struggles faced during exhalation. Therefore, during an asthma attack, the primary concern for the patient is the challenge of exhaling air from the lungs effectively.