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Impact of hypertonic saline on hospitalization rate in infants with acute bronchiolitis: A meta‐analysis
Author(s) -
Zhang Linjie,
Gunther Carlos B.,
Franco Ozeia S.,
Klassen Terry P.
Publication year - 2018
Publication title -
pediatric pulmonology
Language(s) - English
Resource type - Journals
SCImago Journal Rank - 0.866
H-Index - 106
eISSN - 1099-0496
pISSN - 8755-6863
DOI - 10.1002/ppul.24066
Subject(s) - medicine , bronchiolitis , hypertonic saline , confidence interval , relative risk , meta analysis , emergency department , subgroup analysis , randomized controlled trial , cochrane library , pediatrics , anesthesia , emergency medicine , respiratory system , psychiatry
Aim This meta‐analysis aimed to assess the efficacy of nebulized hypertonic saline (HS) on the rate of hospitalization in infants with acute bronchiolitis in the Emergency Department (ED) setting. Method We searched PubMed, Virtual Health Library‐BVS and Cochrane CENTRAL from inception until January 31, 2018. We selected randomized trials that compared nebulized HS with normal saline (NS) or standard care in children up to 24 months of age with acute bronchiolitis in the ED setting. We conducted random‐effects meta‐analyses to estimate the risk ratio (RR) and 95% confidence interval (CI). Results A total of 293 records were screened and 8 trials involving 1708 patients were included. The meta‐analysis showed a 16% reduction in the risk of hospitalization among patients treated with HS compared to NS (risk ratio [RR]: 0.84, 95% confidence interval [CI]: 0.71‐0.98, P = 0.03). A significant effect of HS in reducing the risk of hospitalization was found only in the subgroup analyses of trials in which HS was mixed with bronchodilators, multiple doses (≥3) were given, and risk of bias was low. Conclusions Nebulized hypertonic saline may potentially reduce the risk of hospitalization in infants with acute bronchiolitis in the ED setting. Quality of evidence is moderate due to substantial clinical heterogeneity between studies and large multicenter trials are still warranted.