| Abstract: | Question Recently, a 1-year-old patient returned from admission in the hospital for bronchiolitis, and the report I received indicated that he was treated with inhaled hypertonic saline, among other treatments. Is this therapy recommended for children in the acute care setting?Answer Bronchiolitis, caused mostly by respiratory syncytial virus, is very common in the winter. It is the most frequent cause of hospitalization in infancy. Several good studies have been conducted in the past decade on the use of nebulized hypertonic saline for bronchiolitis management; however, they offer conflicting results. While there might be a role for the use of nebulized hypertonic saline in children who are hospitalized with bronchiolitis for more than 3 days, treatment in other settings does not confer enough benefit to recommend its use.Bronchiolitis is the most common lower respiratory tract infection in infants and children younger than age 2 and it is the most frequent cause of hospitalization in infancy. The rate of hospital admission for bronchiolitis has increased substantially in North America over the past 2 decades; the hospital admission rate among Canadian children with bronchiolitis increased from 15 to 39 admissions per 1000 children per year.1 Although several viruses can give a similar clinical picture of fever, cough, rhinorrhea, and a variable degree of respiratory distress, respiratory syncytial virus is the predominant pathogen responsible for acute bronchiolitis.2,3 Despite decades of research, supportive care ensuring adequate hydration and oxygenation remains the cornerstone of therapy for these infants.4 |
