Impact of home oxygen therapy on hospital stay for infants with acute bronchiolitis

Acute bronchiolitis has been associated with an increasing hospitalization rate over the past decades. The aim of this paper was to estimate the impact of home oxygen therapy (HOT) on hospital stay for infants with acute bronchiolitis. A retrospective cohort study was done including all children aged ??12?months discharged from a pediatric tertiary-care center with a diagnosis of bronchiolitis, between November 2007 and March 2008. Oxygen was administered according to a standardized protocol. We assumed children with the following criteria could have been sent home with O₂, instead of being kept in hospital: age ??2?months, distance between home and hospital <50?km, in-hospital observation ??24?h, O₂ requirement ??1.0?L/min, stable clinical condition, no enteral tube feeding, and intravenous fluids <50?mL/kg/day. Children with significant underlying disease were excluded. A total of 177 children were included. Median age was 2.0?months (range 0?C11), and median length of stay was 3.0?days (range 0?C18). Forty-eight percent of patients (85/177) received oxygen during their hospital stay. Criteria for discharge with HOT were met in 7.1?% of patients, a mean of 1.8?days (SD 1.8) prior to real discharge. The number of patient-days of hospitalization which would have been saved had HOT been available was 21, representing 3.0?% of total patient-days of hospitalization for bronchiolitis over the study period (21/701). Conclusions: In this study setting, few children were eligible for an early discharge with HOT. Home oxygen therapy would not significantly decrease the overall burden of hospitalization for bronchiolitis.     

Bronchiolitis in young infants: is it a risk factor for recurrent wheezing in childhood?

Background

Acute bronchiolitis in infancy is considered a risk factor for recurrent wheezing episodes in childhood. The present study assessed prevalence, clinical manifestations and risk factors for recurrent wheezing events during the first 3 years of life and persistent wheezing events beyond this age in children hospitalized as young infants with acute bronchiolitis.

Methods

Two groups of children aged 6 years were included. The study group comprised 150 children with a history of hospitalization for bronchiolitis, with the first event at <6 months of age. The control group comprised 66 age- and sex-matched children with no history of bronchiolitis before 6 months of age. Children in both groups had been followed until 6 years of age by their pediatricians; data were obtained retrospectively by reviewing ambulatory records during children’s visits in pediatricians’ clinics. The data included epidemiological parameters, prevalence, age at onset, number of and treatments given for episodes of wheezing events prior to 6 years of age, pathogens detected, and severity of acute bronchiolitis in the study group.

Results

Overall, 58% and 27% of children in the study and control groups, respectively (P=0.001) had recurrent wheezing episodes prior to the age of 3 years. Children in the study group had earlier onset of recurrent wheezing, had more episodes of wheezing, and required more bronchodilator and systemic steroids treatments compared to the control group.

Conclusion

Hospitalization within the first six months of life for acute bronchiolitis is an independent risk factor for recurrent wheezing episodes during the first 3 years of life.

     

Long and short-term effect of prednisolone in hospitalized infants with acute bronchiolitis

OBJECTIVE: To assess long and short-term effect of prednisolone in hospitalized infants with bronchiolitis. METHODOLOGY: A randomized and controlled trial was carried out at the Federal University of Rio Grande, Rio Grande-RS, Brazil. Twenty-eight patients were randomly allocated prednisolone (1 mg/kg/day for 5 days) plus standard care, and 24 patients allocated standard care alone. The primary endpoint was the prevalence of post-bronchiolitis wheezing at 1, 3, 6 and 12 months after hospital discharge. The secondary endpoints were: length of hospital stay, duration of oxygen therapy and time to clinical improvement during the hospitalization. RESULTS: There were no significant differences between the prednisolone and control group in the prevalence of post-bronchioltis wheezing at 1 month (73.1 vs 83.3%, P = 0.5), 3 months (73.1 vs 79.2%, P = 0.7), 6 months (65.4 vs 66.7%, P = 0.9) and 12 months (50.0 vs 58.3%, P = 0.5) after hospital discharge. No reduction was observed in the prednisolone group, compared with the control group, in terms of length of hospital stay (6.0 vs 5.0 days, P = 0.7), duration of oxygen therapy (24.0 vs 24.0 h, P = 0.4) and time to clinical resolution (4.0 vs 4.0 days, P = 0.8). CONCLUSIONS: Prednisolone has no significant effect on reducing the prevalence of post-bronchiolitis wheezing and on improving the acute course of illness in hospitalized infants with bronchiolitis.     

阿奇霉素辅助治疗儿童毛细支气管炎有效性的系统回顾与Meta分析

目的 系统评价阿奇霉素（AZM）辅助治疗儿童毛细支气管炎的有效性。方法 采用RevMan 5.3软件,对截止2019年2月17日国内外发表的关于AZM用于辅助治疗毛细支气管炎的临床随机对照试验进行Meta分析。结果 共纳入14篇文献,干预组667例,对照组651例。合并效应量结果显示,AZM辅助治疗不能缩短毛细支气管炎患儿的住院时间（MD=-0.29,95% CI：-0.62~0.04,P=0.08）及用氧时间（MD=-0.33,95% CI：-0.73~0.07,P=0.10）;可以缩短患儿喘息（MD=-1.00,95% CI：-1.72~-0.28,P=0.007）及咳嗽缓解时间（MD=-0.48,95% CI：-0.67~-0.29,P < 0.00001）。菌群分析结果提示,AZM能有效减少患儿鼻咽部肺炎链球菌（OR=0.24,95% CI：0.11~0.54,P=0.0006）、嗜血杆菌属（OR=0.28,95% CI：0.14~0.55,P=0.0002）和卡他莫拉菌（OR=0.21,95% CI：0.11~0.40,P < 0.00001）的检出率。结论 AZM辅助治疗儿童毛细支气管炎一定程度上有助于缩短患儿咳嗽及喘息缓解时间,但对住院及用氧时间的影响不显著。     

Risk of urinary tract infection in infants and children with acute bronchiolitis

OBJECTIVES:

To estimate the prevalence of urinary tract infection in infants and children with bronchiolitis.

METHODS:

A retrospective cross-sectional study involving patients zero to 24 months of age who were hospitalized with acute bronchiolitis was conducted.

RESULTS:

A total of 835 paediatric patients with acute bronchiolitis were admitted to the paediatric ward between January 2010 and December 2012. The mean (± SD) age at diagnosis was 3.47±2.99 months. There were 325 (39%) girls and 510 (61%) boys. For the purpose of data analysis, the patient population was divided into three groups: group 1 included children hospitalized with respiratory syncytial virus (RSV) bronchiolitis; group 2 included children hospitalized with clinical bronchiolitis with no virus detected; and group 3 included children hospitalized with clinical bronchiolitis due to a respiratory virus other than RSV. Results revealed that urinary tract infection was present in 10% of patients, and was most common in group 3 (13.4%) followed by group 2 (9.7%), and was least common in group 1 (6%) (P=0.030).

CONCLUSIONS:

The possibility of a urinary tract infection should be considered in a febrile child with a diagnosis of bronchiolitis, particularly if the trigger is a respiratory virus other than RSV.     

Low serum 25-hydroxyvitamin D levels and bronchiolitis severity in Spanish infants

This cross-sectional study was performed to examine the prevalence of hypovitaminosis D in infants with acute bronchiolitis compared with control subjects and to evaluate the relationship between serum 25-hydroxyvitamin D (25(OH) D) and the severity of bronchiolitis. Serum 25(OH) D levels were measured by radioimmunoassay in 48 infants with acute bronchiolitis (2.5?±?2.0 months) and in 30 healthy infants (3.2?±?2.3 months). 25(OH) D levels (ng/ml) in children with acute bronchiolitis were significantly lower than in the control group (median 29.9 ng/ml (interquartile range (IQR) 21.4–37.5) versus median 38.2 ng/ml ((IQR 26.1–48.1), p?=?0.022), mainly in infants with moderate–severe bronchiolitis (median 29.8 ng/ml, IQR 19.2–35.9). The prevalence of hypovitaminosis D was remarkably greater among infants with bronchiolitis than in control subjects (52.1 versus 26.6 %). A significant inverse correlation was found between serum 25-hydroxyvitamin D levels and disease severity (rho?=??0.457, p?<?0.001). Conclusion: The prevalence of hypovitaminosis D is high in Spanish infants with bronchiolitis. The severity of acute bronchiolitis increases with a decline in serum 25 (OH) D level.     

The efficacy of nebulized metaproterenol in wheezing infants and young children.

The benefit of beta-adrenergic agonists in the treatment of acutely wheezing infants and young children has not been well documented in the outpatient setting. To determine the efficacy of nebulized metaproterenol sulfate, 74 children aged 36 months or younger with acute wheezing participated in a double-masked, randomized, placebo-controlled clinical trial. Children received nebulized metaproterenol, either as an initial treatment or after a control treatment with normal saline solution. At baseline and 20 minutes after each treatment, an assessment was made that included measurements of heart rate, respiratory rate, oxygen saturation, and clinical variables related to respiratory compromise with the use of a standardized respiratory distress index (RDI). Children who received saline solution as initial therapy had no significant differences from baseline in any of the assessment measures. After metaproterenol therapy, children demonstrated an increase in heart rate ([mean +/- SD] 147 +/- 14 beats per minute vs 153 +/- 16 beats per minute), a decrease in respirations (50/min +/- 5/min vs 45/min +/- 7/min), improvement (lower scores) on the RDI (24 +/- 4 vs 15 +/- 2), and an increase in oxygen saturation (94.1% +/- 2.7% vs 95.3% +/- 3.0%). Patients aged 12 months or younger (n = 37) benefited from metaproterenol treatment (improvement in respiratory rate and RDI) but not to the same degree as children aged 24 months or older (n = 23) (improvement in respiratory rate, RDI, and oxygen saturation). Compared with assessments made before metaproterenol treatment, patients with respiratory syncytial virus infection (n = 21) had improvement in respirations (52/min +/- 7/min vs 45/min +/- 6/min) and RDI scores (22 +/- 4 vs 14 +/- 3). Based on a priori criteria (reduction in a premedication respiratory rate of 20% and an RDI score of 50%), responders to metaproterenol therapy included 45% of the entire sample and, respectively, 40% of those aged 12 months or younger, 52% of those aged 24 months or older, and 48% of patients who tested positive for respiratory syncytial virus. Although there appears to be an age-dependent degree of response, metaproterenol is effective in relieving the respiratory distress of young acutely wheezing children, including those with documented respiratory syncytial virus bronchiolitis.     

The role of breastfeeding and passive smoking on the development of severe bronchiolitis in infants

AIM: Bronchiolitis is an acute infectious disease of the lower respiratory tract which causes the obstruction of bronchioles in children younger than 2 years.The aim of this study was to investigate the effect of passive smoking alone and in conjunction with breastfeeding on the severity of acute bronchiolitis in infancy and the duration of hospitalisation. METHODS: We studied 240 consecutive infants aged from 6 to 24 months (137 boys and 103 girls) median age 14 months, who required hospital admission for acute bronchiolitis at the Paediatric Department of Democritus University Hospital, Alexandroupolis, Greece. The outcomes of interest were the severity of bronchiolitis and the duration of hospitalisation. RESULTS: Among the entire cohort, 122 (50.8%) children presented a severe attack of bronchiolitis. In multivariate regression analysis adjusting for confounding factors, breastfeeding for less than four months (aOR=6.1, 95% CI=3.4-10.7), exposure to environmental tobacco smoke (aOR=2.2, 95% CI=1.1-3.6) and their combination (aOR=16.2, 95% CI=6.0-34.3) showed significant association with severe bronchiolitis and prolonged hospitalisation. Passive smoking did not increase the risk of severe bronchiolitis, when infants breastfed for more than four months (aOR=1.9, 95% CI=0.8-5.1). CONCLUSION: In conclusion, exposure to environmental tobacco smoke worsens the symptoms and the prognosis of bronchiolitis, while breastfeeding seems to have a protective effect even in children exposed to environmental tobacco smoke.     

Effect of oral and inhaled salbutamol in infants with bronchiolitis

The response of bronchiolitis to bronchodilator drugs is controversial. The present study was designed to evaluate the efficacy of oral or metered dose inhaler (MDI) salbutamol using a coffee cup as a spacer device in bronchiolitis. In the trial, 31 hospitalized patients between 6 and 24 months of age, who exhibited the first episode of acute bronchiolitis without any other predisposing illness such as cystic fibrosis, congenital heart disease etc., were randomly assigned to receive oral salbutamol (n=11, 0.1 mg/kg per dose, four times a day), or MDI salbutamol (n = 12, 200 μg per dose, every 3 h) or formed the control group without any bronchodilator therapy (n = 8). All of the patients were given supplemental oxygen as needed and adequate hydration was maintained. The patients were evaluated with clinical symptom scores. There were no differences in the beneficial or side effects of salbutamol, or the number of days in hospital between the treatment groups and the control group. It was concluded that there is no beneficial effect in using bronchodilators in infants with bronchiolitis. Supplemental oxygen and maintenance of normal hydration may be adequate.     

Impacto clínico de la implantación de la ventilación por alto flujo de oxígeno en el tratamiento de la bronquiolitis en una planta de hospitalización pediátrica

ObjectiveTo analyse the safety and efficacy of high-flow oxygen therapy for treatment of moderate to severe bronchiolitis in children admitted to the paediatric hospital wards.MethodsA prospective observational study was conducted on children < 18 months of age with bronchiolitis admitted to the paediatric ward of a tertiary-care teaching hospital during the 2011-12 respiratory season. Children were treated with a high-flow ventilation system (Fisher & Paykel). Clinical and cardio-respiratory parameters were evaluated every hour for the duration of therapy.ResultsA total of 25 patients, with a median age of 2 months (range: 0.6-11 months) were included. Respiratory syncytial virus (RSV) was positive in 75% of cases. Indications for high-flow therapy included: progressive respiratory distress (Wood-Downes ≥ 8) (88%), apnoea (8%) and desaturation (4%). Median duration of therapy was 4 days (range: 3-7 days), with a median of 9 days in hospital (range: 8-12 days). High flow therapy was associated with a significant decrease in cardio-respiratory parameters, heart rate, respiratory rate, which resulted in a significant improvement of the Wood-Downes Score (from 10±1.21 to 3±0.77, P=.001). No adverse effects were observed. Five patients (20%) were admitted to the Paediatric Intensive Care Unit (PICU), which represents an 80% reduction of PICU admissions compared with historic data of previous years.ConclusionsHigh-flow ventilation therapy achieved a significant improvement in heart rate, respiratory rate, and scale of severity in patients with bronchiolitis. This novel therapeutic strategy allows safe management of bronchiolitis patients in the regular ward, reducing admissions to the PICU.     

Hypertonic (3%) saline Vs 0.9% saline nebulization for acute viral bronchiolitis: A randomized controlled trial

Objective

To compare the length of hospital stay (primary) and improvement in clinical severity scores (secondary) among children with bronchiolitis nebulized with 3 % hypertonic saline or 0.9% saline.

Design

Randomized double blind controlled trial.

Setting

Tertiary care teaching hospital.

Patients

Hospitalized children (1–24 months) with acute bronchiolitis of moderate severity.

Intervention

Nebulization of 4 ml of 3% hypertonic saline or 4 mL of 0.9% saline, along with 2.5 mg salbutamol, at 4-hourly intervals till the patient was ready for discharge.

Results

Baseline characteristics were similar in two groups. Median clinical severity score at admission was 6 (IQR-1) in both the groups. Clinical severity scores monitored afterwards 12-hourly till discharge (132 h) did not show statistically significant differences in 3% and 0.9% saline groups. Mean length of hospital stay (time to reach predefined clinical severity score<3) was 63.93 ± 22.43 h in 3% saline group and 63.51 ± 21.27 h in 0.9% saline group (P=0.878). No adverse events were reported by the parents, caregivers or treating medical attendants in both groups.

Conclusion

Nebulized 3 % saline is not superior to 0.9% saline in infants with clinically diagnosed acute bronchiolitis.     

Randomised controlled trial of budesonide for the prevention of post-bronchiolitis wheezing.

BACKGROUND: Previous studies suggest that recurrent episodes of coughing and wheezing occur in up to 75% of infants after acute viral bronchiolitis. AIM: To assess the efficacy of budesonide given by means of a metered dose inhaler, spacer, and face mask in reducing the incidence of coughing and wheezing episodes up to 12 months after acute viral bronchiolitis. METHODS: Children under the age of 12 months admitted to hospital with acute viral bronchiolitis were randomised to receive either budesonide or placebo (200 microg or one puff twice daily) for the next eight weeks. Parents kept a diary card record of all episodes of coughing and wheezing over the next 12 months. RESULTS: Full follow up data were collected for 49 infants. There were no significant differences between the two study groups for the number of infants with symptom episodes up to six months after hospital discharge. At 12 months, 21 infants in the budesonide group had symptom episodes compared with 12 of 24 in the placebo group. The median number of symptom episodes was 2 (range, 0-13) in those who received budesonide and 1 (range, 0-11) in those who received placebo. Because there is no pharmacological explanation for these results, they are likely to be caused by a type 1 error, possibly exacerbated by there being more boys in the treatment group. CONCLUSION: Routine administration of budesonide by means of a metered dose inhaler, spacer, and face mask system immediately after acute viral bronchiolitis cannot be recommended.     

Double-blind, randomized, controlled trial of zinc or vitamin A supplementation in young children with acute diarrhoea

In a double-blind, controlled trial with a factorial design, 684 patients (aged 6 months to 2 y; excludes 6 early dropouts) with acute watery diarrhoea of 3 d or less and some dehydration, who were attending a hospital, were randomly assigned to 4 groups to receive: (a) vitamin A 4500 microg retinol equivalent daily for 15 d; (b) 14.2 mg elemental zinc as acetate for the first 417 patients and 40 mg of the remaining 273 patients randomized to this group for 15 d; (c) both vitamin A 4500 microg retinol equivalent and zinc at the above doses daily for 15 d; or (d) placebo mixtures for 15 d. Patients were observed in the hospital for 24 h and followed up at home for 15 d. All received ascorbic acid 30 mg with each dose of medicine or placebo. Zinc supplementation was associated with a reduced duration of diarrhoea (13%, p = 0.03) and markedly reduced rate (43%, p = 0.017) of prolonged diarrhoea (>7 d). Vitamin A supplementation was associated with a nonsignificant trend for reduced rate of prolonged diarrhoea (p = 0.089). In conclusion, zinc supplementation as adjunct therapy had a substantial impact on the rate of prolonged diarrhoea and some impact on duration and may be beneficial in children with diarrhoea in developing countries.     

二丙酸倍氯米松和干扰素吸入疗法治疗毛细支气管炎的临床研究

目的 研究二丙酸倍氯米松和干扰素吸入疗法治疗毛细支气管炎（毛支）的临床疗效，评价其临床价值。方法 将83例毛支患儿随机分为两组，两组病例采用相同的综合治疗，治疗组（n=42）在综合治疗基础上，急性期行干扰素吸入治疗及缓解期行二丙酸倍氯米松长期吸入治疗，对治疗前后主要症状及体征的持续时间，平均住院天数进行比较。结果 急性期在治愈率、喘憋缓解、肺部哮鸣音及湿哕音消失时间及住院时间等方面，治疗组明显优于对照组（P〈0．01）。恢复期治疗组喘息率低于对照组。结论 急性期吸入干扰素有利于疾病的恢复，恢复期吸入二丙酸倍氯米松可减少喘息的发作。     

Efficacy of adding nebulized ipratropium bromide to nebulized albuterol therapy in acute bronchiolitis.

Nebulized ipratropium bromide is though to be synergistic with albuterol in therapy for acute childhood asthma. Because the efficacy of ipratropium in bronchiolitis is uncertain and some infants with bronchiolitis do not respond to nebulized albuterol alone, the following study was undertaken. In this double-blind, placebo-controlled trial, 69 infants between 6 weeks and 24 months of age who exhibited the first episode of acute bronchiolitis were randomly assigned to receive either nebulized albuterol (0.15 mg/kg per dose) and ipratropium bromide (250 micrograms per dose) (group A, n = 36) or nebulized albuterol and normal saline (placebo) (group B, n = 33) for two doses, 1 hour apart. The two groups were comparable at baseline. Both therapies resulted in clinically significant improvement. However, the addition of ipratropium resulted in no additional benefit with respect to decrease in the respiratory rate (mean decreases 10.6/min vs decreases 8.6/min, P = .86), accessory muscle score (range 0 through 3) (decreases 0.92 vs decreases 0.82, z = -0.44), wheeze score (range 0 through 3) (decreases 0.94 vs 0.85, z = -0.20), oxygen saturation (increases 0.25% vs increases -0.33%, P = .86), or hospitalization rate (17 vs 10). The number of "nonresponders" and "clear responders" was also very similar in both groups. No toxicity was noted. The increase in heart rate was mild and similar in both groups (increases 6.7 vs increases 11.1). The power of the study to detect a difference between the two treatment groups in the respiratory rate change > or = 8/min is greater than 90%.(ABSTRACT TRUNCATED AT 250 WORDS)     

Randomised controlled trial of zinc supplementation in malnourished Bangladeshi children with acute diarrhoea

OBJECTIVE: To evaluate the impact of zinc supplementation on the clinical course, stool weight, duration of diarrhoea, changes in serum zinc, and body weight gain of children with acute diarrhoea. DESIGN: Randomised double blind controlled trial. Children were assigned to receive zinc (20 mg elemental zinc per day) containing multivitamins or control group (zinc-free multivitamins) daily in three divided doses for two weeks. SETTING: A diarrhoeal disease hospital in Dhaka, Bangladesh. PATIENTS: 111 children, 3 to 24 months old, below 76% median weight for age of the National Center for Health Statistics standard with acute diarrhoea. Children with severe infection and/or oedema were excluded. MAIN OUTCOME MEASURES: Total diarrhoeal stool output, duration of diarrhoea, rate of weight gain, and changes in serum zinc levels after supplementation. RESULTS: Stool output was 28% less and duration 14% shorter in the zinc supplemented group than placebo (p = 0.06). There were reductions in median total diarrhoeal stool output among zinc supplemented subjects who were shorter (less than 95% height for age), 239 v 326 g/kg (p < 0.04), and who had a lower initial serum zinc (< 14 mmol/l), 279 v 329 g/kg (p < 0.05); a shortening of mean time to recovery occurred (4.7 v 6.2 days, p < 0.04) in those with lower serum zinc. There was an increase in mean serum zinc in the zinc supplemented group (+2.4 v -0.3 mumol/l, p < 0.001) during two weeks of supplementation, and better mean weight gain (120 v 30 g, p < 0.03) at the time of discharge from hospital. CONCLUSIONS: Zinc supplementation is a simple, acceptable, and affordable strategy which should be considered in the management of acute diarrhoea and in prevention of growth faltering in children specially those who are malnourished.     

Asthma, lung function and sensitization in school children with a history of bronchiolitis.

BACKGROUND: The purpose of the present retrospective study was to investigate the association of school-age asthma with acute-bronchiolitis and examine the influence of potential risk factors. METHODS: One hundred and eighty-nine children aged 7.5 +/- 2.2 years consecutively hospitalized for respiratory syncytial virus (RSV)-positive acute bronchiolitis during infancy were evaluated by clinical examination and measurement of peak expiratory flow (PEFR), spirometry, IgE and skin-prick testing. Their pulmonary function was compared with that of 60 non-asthmatic matched controls. RESULTS: Of the entire cohort 57.1% were diagnosed as asthmatic. PEFR, the 1-second forced expiratory volume and forced expiratory flow of 50% vital capacity of children with a history of acute bronchiolitis were statistically significantly lower than in the control group (all P < 0.001). All the aforementioned measurements of children with/without asthma were also significantly lower than controls, while values of asthmatics were significantly lower than those of non-asthmatics. The incidence of asthma in childhood was independently associated with breast-feeding <3 months (adjusted odds ratio [aOR], 8.4; 95% confidence interval [CI]: 3.1-22.4), at least one positive skin prick test (aOR, 7.1; 95%CI: 2.8-18.1), male gender (aOR, 5.0; 95%CI: 2.2-11.5), evidence of moisture in the home environment (aOR, 2.9; 95%CI: 1.3-6.3) and presence of more than one house-resident smoking indoors (aOR, 4.9; 95%CI: 1.8-9.2). CONCLUSION: Children with a history of RSV-bronchiolitis during infancy have an increased risk for developing asthma in childhood, which was independently associated with male gender, breast-feeding <3 months, living in a home environment with moisture damage and/or tobacco smoke by two or more residents and sensitization to at least one aeroallergen. Children with a history of RSV bronchiolitis in infancy had lower spirometry in comparison to matched control group. The difference was more marked for asthmatic ones but remained significant even for non-asthmatic children.     

Randomised controlled trial of budesonide for the prevention of post-bronchiolitis wheezing

BACKGROUND—Previous studies suggest that recurrent episodes of coughing and wheezing occur in up to 75% of infants after acute viral bronchiolitis.AIM—To assess the efficacy of budesonide given by means of a metered dose inhaler, spacer, and face mask in reducing the incidence of coughing and wheezing episodes up to 12 months after acute viral bronchiolitis.METHODS—Children under the age of 12 months admitted to hospital with acute viral bronchiolitis were randomised to receive either budesonide or placebo (200 µg or one puff twice daily) for the next eight weeks. Parents kept a diary card record of all episodes of coughing and wheezing over the next 12months.RESULTS—Full follow up data were collected for 49 infants. There were no significant differences between the two study groups for the number of infants with symptom episodes up to six months after hospital discharge. At 12 months, 21 infants in the budesonide group had symptom episodes compared with 12 of 24 in the placebo group. The median number of symptom episodes was 2 (range, 0-13) in those who received budesonide and 1 (range, 0-11) in those who received placebo. Because there is no pharmacological explanation for these results, they are likely to be caused by a type 1 error, possibly exacerbated by there being more boys in the treatment group.CONCLUSION—Routine administration of budesonide by means of a metered dose inhaler, spacer, and face mask system immediately after acute viral bronchiolitis cannot be recommended.     

Efficacy of oral dexamethasone in outpatients with acute bronchiolitis

OBJECTIVE: To examine the efficacy of oral dexamethasone in acute bronchiolitis. STUDY DESIGN: A double-blind randomized, placebo-controlled trial involving 70 children < 24 months old in the emergency department with Respiratory Disease Assessment Instrument > or = 6. Each patient received either 1 dose of 1 mg/kg of oral dexamethasone or placebo and was assessed hourly for a 4-hour period. Repeated measures regression analysis evaluated a change in the Respiratory Assessment Change Score (RACS). RESULTS: The 2 groups had similar baseline characteristics with Respiratory Disease Assessment Inventory of 9.4 +/- 2.3 in the dexamethasone group (n = 36) and 10.0 +/- 2.7 in the placebo group (n = 34). The RACS was -5.0 +/- 3.1 in the dexamethasone group and -3.2 +/- 3.7 in the placebo group (P =.029). Poor RACS occurred in 41% and 17% of the placebo and dexamethasone groups, respectively (P =.034). Of the children treated with dexamethasone, 19% were hospitalized compared with 44% in the placebo group (P =.039). There was no difference in RACS between the groups on day 7 (P =.75). CONCLUSION: Outpatients with moderate-to-severe acute bronchiolitis derive significant clinical and hospitalization benefit from oral dexamethasone treatment in the initial 4 hours of therapy.