Twenty-one-year follow-up revealed guideline-concordant and non-concordant trends in intensive care of bronchiolitis

Conclusion: When post-guideline years were compared with pre-guideline years, the use of bronchodilators decreased in agreement, but the use of inhaled saline increased in disagreement with the guidelines. The use of respiratory support increased, evidently because of an introduction of the non-invasive HFOT treatment modality.What is Known:• Oxygen supplementation and respiratory support, when needed, are the cornerstones of bronchiolitis treatment.• Medicines are frequently given to infants with bronchiolitis, especially if intensive care is needed, although evidence of their effectiveness is lacking.What is New:• Nearly all (94%) infants who needed intensive care were treated with HFOT and 37% with nasal CPAP, and finally, only 9% were intubated, which reflects the effectiveness of non-invasive techniques.• When pre- and post-guideline eras were compared, use of racemic adrenaline decreased from 84 to 57%, but use of hypertonic saline increased up to 75%, which disagrees with the current guidelines.
Source: European Journal of Pediatrics - Category: Pediatrics Source Type: research