Epinephrine, Dexamethasone and Hypertonic Saline in Bronchiolitis

Overview

Bronchiolitis is one of the main reasons for consultation in primary care and emergency services, as well as the leading cause of hospitalization for lower respiratory tract infection in children under two years. There is still no consensus on the medical management of the disease, in clinical practice there is wide variability in the treatment with inhaled drugs and / or oral bronchodilators, steroids, antihistamines despite the viral etiology of the disease, which results in increased morbidity and a major economic benefit for all health services. Several studies are in relation to the management of bronchiolitis, one of which was made during 2014 in the Naval Hospital of High Specialty which included 90 participants comparing 3 treatment. The treatments administered were: dexamethasone and epinephrine (Levogira) (ED), hypertonic saline 3% (SSH 3%)and saline 0.9% ( SS 0.9%), finding that the handling of ED and SSH 3% had lower rates of hospital admissions compared to the symptomatic management of SS 0.9%. Although the superiority of SSH3% and ED in relation to the use of SS 0.9% was demonstrated, it was not possible to establish difference statistically significant between them. Why it was considered necessary to continue the study focused on determining the difference in the effectiveness of ED and SSH 3%. Therefore, the purpose of this investigation is to determine whether there is a difference between the use of dexamethasone and epinephrine versus hypertonic saline (3%).

Respiratory tract infections are one of the leading causes of consultation in the Hospital General Naval de Alta Especialidad, in the emergency department and outpatient. Only in the last year (2014) shows that a total of 2690 pediatric consultations were provided in the emergency department, 1000 of them were for respiratory tract infections, constituting an approximate percentage of 37%. This figure increased over the previous year (2013) in which emergency visits corresponding 1130 290 cases consultations with boxes airways getting a percentage of 25% is given. Due to the high incidence of lower respiratory tract infections among patients in the pediatric ward, specifically for infants under two patients; early diagnosis of acute bronchiolitis is essential to initiate proper management without falling into the overuse of drugs that have not shown adequate results. In the last five years it has seen an increase in cases of bronchiolitis treated in both outpatient or emergency department of the Naval General Hospital. Given these data, a priority for a reason and consensus of treatment for patients with bronchiolitis. Faced with these alarming epidemiological data both nationally and globally, it is difficult to understand that there is no consensus on the management of this entity. Although mortality is low, it represents a high cost for society and especially for health institutions, represented by a high rate of income, empirical treatments and other logistical issues. This document intends to obtain evidence of better treatment in the population in order to establish an optimal management without spilling resources would reduce the rate of hospital admissions, first to the Naval General Hospital of High Specialty and then unify all Naval Health centers. All this, on a solid foundation of knowledge, with the latest revisions in the interest of the subject, in order to provide the best care to every patient. Among the treatments given in this research the application of adrenaline is included, its usefulness is based on the action that causes on alpha receptors causing vasoconstriction, decreased blood flow and inflammation, responsible for the obstruction which is part of the pathophysiology of bronchiolitis. During the investigation it was decided to use it in its natural form (Levogira) because it is less expensive and the investigators can find it in an accessible at other institutions. Studies comparing its use in relation to the racemic epinephrine, show no difference. In addition to reporting a power 30 times higher in relation to the racemic epinephrine. The study is feasible because the drugs used in this study are within the basic framework of hospital drugs, which do not involve any cost or use of additional staff for the hospital.