Conditions: Acute Bronchiolitis
Keywords: Bronchiolitis Hypertonic saline Emergency Department
Allocation: RANDOMIZED | Intervention model: PARALLEL
Enrollment: 52
Healthy volunteers: no

Brief summary:
This is a randomized, double-blind, controlled trial in the Pediatric Emergency Department. The primary objective is to determine whether nebulized 3% hypertonic saline is more effective than nebulized 0.9% saline in the treatment of bronchiolitis in the emergency department.

Detailed description:

Arms:
arm 1: Once consented, the study drug (in this arm: 3% Hypertonic Saline) will be ordered by a physician at the request of a study team member. Once the drug order set is received by a pharmacist, he/she will obtain the study drug from an Omnicell and prepare the medication to a volume of 3 mL in a syringe with a blinded study label prepared in advance by the IDS pharmacy. The pharmacist will then give the study drug to the patient's respiratory therapist or the bedside nurse. The respiratory therapist or the nurse will pour the drug from a syringe to an inhaler cup and the study drug will be given by the standard nebulizer over the course of 15 minutes. arm 2: Once consented, the study drug (in this arm: 0.9% normal saline) will be ordered by a physician at the request of a study team member. Once the drug order set is received by a pharmacist, he/she will obtain the study drug from an Omnicell and prepare the medication to a volume of 3 mL in a syringe with a blinded study label prepared in advance by the IDS pharmacy. The pharmacist will then give the study drug to the patient's respiratory therapist or the bedside nurse. The respiratory therapist or the nurse will pour the drug from a syringe to an inhaler cup and the study drug will be given by the standard nebulizer over the course of 15 minutes.

Interventions: intervention 1: 3% Hypertonic Saline intervention 2: 0.9 % normal saline
Intervention descriptions: intervention 1: Within 5-15 minutes following the administration of the study drug, the Respiratory Distress Assessment Instrument (RDAI) score will be reassessed and study interventions are complete. The patient will be observed for one hour in the emergency department (ED). However, further treatments may be started immediately upon discretion of the treating physician. If the patient is discharged home study PI and/or research assistant will call the parents 7 days from the ED visit to check the number of visits to their primary doctor and/or EDs due to same illness. intervention 2: Within 5-15 minutes following the administration of the study drug, the Respiratory Distress Assessment Instrument (RDAI) score will be reassessed and study interventions are complete. The patient will be observed for one hour in the emergency department (ED). However, further treatments may be started immediately upon discretion of the treating physician. If the patient is discharged home study PI and/or research assistant will call the parents 7 days from the ED visit to check the number of visits to their primary doctor and/or EDs due to same illness.

Protocol document: