HYPERTONIC SALINE IN ACUTE VIRAL BRONCHIOLITIS: A RANDOMIZED CLINICAL TRIAL

Acute viral bronchiolitis is the principal lower respiratory tract infection in infants worldwide, 10% of canadian infants are affected each year. It is characterized by a first episode of difficulty to breathe, preceded by symptoms of fever, rhinorrhea and cough. The only accepted treatment for bronchiolitis is nasal cleaning, hydration and oxygen administration. Multiple studies have documented variation in diagnostic testing, clinical scores used and different treatment modalities. This suggests a lack of consensus on the diagnosis, on criteria for hospitalization and on treatment. Nebulized 3% hypertonic saline solution has been proposed as a potential treatment for the reduction in the severity of respiratory symptoms and the rate of admission in bronchiolitis, it has never been studied alone and the effect on the rate of admission has been little studied.

We propose a randomized double blind multicenter clinical trial on infants 6 weeks to 12 months old with moderate or severe bronchiolitis, in 9 emergency departments of hospitals situated in different provinces across Canada, during 3 winter seasons. We hypothesise that infants with bronchiolitis treated with nebulized hypertonic 3% saline solution would have less risk of being hospitalized and would have shorter and less intense respiratory symptoms than those infants treated with nebulized normal saline solution. Our principal objective is to determine if nebulized 3% hypertonic saline solution reduces admission rate 48 hours after treatment compared to placebo. Secondary objectives are to compare between groups intensity of respiratory symptoms measured by different clinical scores (RDAI,PRAM, PASS and IRAS), duration of symptoms, length of hospital stay, added secondary effects and subsequent office visits for the same problem.

Comparatively to other therapies already studied such as (dexamethasone and epinephrine), hypertonic 3% saline constitutes an interesting choice due to the absence of potential secondary effects. Our study will try to optimize the utilization of hospital resources involved in the treatment of bronchiolitis. Infants suffering from this disease could therefore profit from better treatments which will be reflected in a better condition, life quality and consequently those of their parents.