Isotonic Saline for Children With Bronchiolitis

Design: An investigator-initiated, multicenter, open label, three-arm randomized, controlled non-inferiority trial.

Study sites: Seven pediatric departments in eastern Denmark (Slagelse Hospital, Holbæk Hospital, Zealand University Hospital Roskilde, Copenhagen University Hospital Hvidovre, Copenhagen University Hospital Herlev, Nordsjaellands Hospital, and Nykoebing Falster Hospital).

Participants: Children aged 0-12 months admitted to a pediatric department or emergency department in eastern Denmark with bronchiolitis, whose parents provide informed consent for participation.

Randomization: Participating children are randomized 1:1:1 through computer randomization to either nebulized isotonic saline, nasal irrigation with isotonic saline or no isotonic saline therapy at all. Participating children will have a nasal sample collected and tested for a panel of viral pathogens. Excess material (1 ml nasal lining fluid) from upper airway respiratory samples will be stored in a research biobank until 31.12.2030 and used for sub-phenotyping of bronchiolitis and for developing personalized treatment and prediction of later asthma by means of host transcriptomics and metabolomics, 16S sequencing of the airway microbiome and meta-transcriptomics.

All other treatment is given according to standard of care guidelines.

Sample size: By including 249 children in total (83 in each arm) the investigators can prove non-inferiority of nasal irrigation or nebulized saline relative to no saline with a non-inferiority limit of 12 hours admission, alpha 2.5% and a power of 80%. The investigators aim to include 300 children in total to account for dropouts.

Recruitment: Children will only be included if both parents provide informed consent.

Perspectives: This study may improve current practice for supportive treatment of children with bronchiolitis. If saline is found to be helpful, it may be implemented into global guidelines. If no effect of saline is found, physicians may stop spending resources and manpower on an ineffective and potentially unpleasant treatment. Second, if saline is effective, but nasal irrigation proves to be non-inferior to nebulization, it may also reduce the workload of nurses, and possibly duration of hospitalization, because the treatment can be delivered by the parents at home. Moreover, the parents are empowered to manage their child's illness themselves, potentially improving the experience of parents as well as the affected child.

• Number of participants needing respiratory support [Срок оценки: During admission (up to day 14)]
• Number of participants being readmitted after discharge [Срок оценки: 30 days after discharge]
• Respiratory severity score [Срок оценки: During admission (up to day 14)]
• Number of participants needing oxygen therapy [Срок оценки: During admission (up to day 14)]
• Number of participants needing transfer to ICU or SICU [Срок оценки: During admission (up to day 14)]
• Health-related Quality of Life [Срок оценки: Up to one month after discharge]
• Fluid supplements [Срок оценки: During admission (up to day 14)]
• pCO2 [Срок оценки: During admission (up to day 14)]
• Number of participants needing to switch treatment [Срок оценки: During admission (up to day 14)]
• Number of participants with visible distress [Срок оценки: During admission (up to day 14)]
• Parents satisfaction [Срок оценки: Up to one month after discharge]