Adrenaline and Dexamethasone, vs Adrenaline and Fluticasone, vs Adrenaline alone in Bronchiolitis: A Randomized Controlled Trial

Background and Objectives: There is no consensus over which drug best reduces symptoms in Bronchiolitis syndrome. The primary objective of our study is to establish comparative effect of adrenaline nebulisation alone and combination of adrenaline nebulisation plus injectable dexamethasone and adrenaline nebulisation plus fluticasone nebulisation in the treatment of clinical cases of bronchiolitis.

Methods: 100 patients diagnosed clinically as bronchiolitis were enrolled in study from 1 month to 24 months of age. Patients were enrolled by purposive sampling. Patients with respiratory distress assessment instrument score [RDAI] of 4 to 15 were chosen, randomized into three groups and treatment given till patient fullfilled discharge criteria. Group A (n=33) were given nebulised adrenaline alone, Group B (n=34) were given nebulised adrenaline plus injectable dexamethasone and Group C (n=33) were given nebulised adrenaline plus nebulised fluticasone.

Results: The mean reduction in clinical severity-RDAI score was 1.75 ±0.86 in Group A, 2.30 ± 0.68 in Group B and 1.42 ± 0.9 in Group C when measured in terms of difference in clinical scores between day 1 and 2 (p=0.0003).

Mean duration of hospital stay in the group A was (4.93±1.95 days), Group C (4.78±1.83) and Group B (3.91 ±1.37 days). The difference of stay between the Groups A and B was 1.02±0.58 days vs 0.87± 0.46 days in groups B and C (p-0.0048). Reduction in the length of hospital stay in group B was 22% compared to Group A & 19% compared to Group C (p-0.0048).

Side effects were tachycardia in six patients.

Conclusion: Combination of adrenaline nebulization and injectable dexamethasone was found significantly better as compared to nebulised adrenaline plus nebulised fluticasone and nebulised adrenaline alone in patients of clinical bronchiolitis in reducing severity of clinical symptoms and duration of hospitalization.