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Article Type

Article

Abstract

Despite wide spread use of epinephrine β2-agonists in infants with bronchiolitis since the late 1950s, the efficacy of these drugs remains unproven. The objective of the study is to determine the effective treatment with subcutaneous (s.c) epinephrine versus nebulized salbutamol on O2 saturation and rate of admission to hospital in patients (age 2 years or less) with bronchiolitis. Single dose of epinephrine (0.01 mg/kg) has been used across various age groups of 2 years or less (maximum dose used was 0.15 mg) and no complications were reported suggesting that the dose is safe; however the maximum safe dose cannot be interpreted from this study. The response to sc epinephrine in patients younger than 12 months was significantly better than in older patients, suggesting a useful role of s.c epinephrine in bronchiolitis in this age. The s.c epinephrine relieves clinical manifestations of respiratory distress (wheezing, chest retractions, flaring of alanasi, cyanosis) and improves parameters of respiratory distress (oxygen saturation, respiratory rate) in infants treated for acute bronchiolitis with maximal effectiveness at 30-60 minute. For s.c epinephrine, every patient had his own disposable syringe; while for nebulized salbutamol, all patients share the same nebulizer. So that, s.c epinephrine may decrease the likelihood of transmission of infection between the patients. The s.c epinephrine reduces the admission rate (13%), compared to nebulized salbutamol (24%). The observation that peak action of s.c epinephrine occurs 30-60 minutes after administration suggests the need for caution in repetitive administration during this period.

Keywords

Epinephrine, Salbutamol, Bronchiolitis

Creative Commons License

Creative Commons Attribution 4.0 International License
This work is licensed under a Creative Commons Attribution 4.0 International License.

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