Comparison Of Two Different Bronchodilators In The Treatment Of Acute Bronchiolitis

Abstract

Acute bronchiolitis is an acute inflammatory respiratory illness of children less than two years of age. Classically adequate hydration, supplementary oxygen, bronchodilators, and corticosteroids may be used in the treatment of acute bronchiolitis. In this study, we aimed compare salbutamol to ipratropium bromide in the management of acute bronchiolitis. We enrolled 34 infants hospitalized for bronchiolitis to evaluate the efficacy of these two different bronchodilators. Thirty-four infants under 2 years of age were randomized to receive either nebulized salbutamol (group I) or nebulized ipratropium bromide (group II). Clinical severity was scored on admission and 12-hour intervals after the start of nebulization. The symptom score evaluated five items: respiratory rate, presence of wheezing, presence of recession, presence of nasal flaring and general appearance. No difference was observed in clinical improvement between the two groups on hospital admission and at 12, 24, 36 and 48 hours during treatment. The mean duration of hospital stay was not significantly different between two groups. Both groups showed a significant improvement following 48hours of treatment. We conclude from our work on infant with acute bronchiolitis that there is no difference between the clinical scores of infants receiving ipratropium bromide or salbutamol. Because of the possible side effects of salbutamol, ipratropium bromide may be preferred as bronchodilator in infants with acute bronchiolitis.