Cochrane · systematic review · CD006458
Nebulised hypertonic saline solution for acute bronchiolitis in infants
Zhang, L, Mendoza-Sassi, RA, Wainwright, CE, et al. · Cochrane Database of Systematic Reviews · 2023 · Cochrane Library
SoF tableOnly the outcomes this review put in its Summary of Findings table are listed (the Cochrane Handbook caps them at about seven per comparison). Its other analyses are not shown here.
Questions
10
current version
GRADE rated
10
No studies
0
Included studies
NR
No studies 0 · 0%Ungraded 0 · 0%Very low 3 · 30%Low 7 · 70%Moderate 0 · 0%High 0 · 0%
Ungraded means an effect was reported without a GRADE rating; it is not a gap. No studies means the review found nothing to answer the question. The six categories are a display order, not a score.
Questions and results
Current version onlyNebulised hypertonic saline compared with nebulised 0.9% saline for acute bronchiolitis in infants
Population: infants up to 24 months of age with acute bronchiolitis
| Outcome | Effect | Evidence | Status / GRADE |
|---|---|---|---|
Length of hospital stay (days) Â Nebulised hypertonic saline vs nebulised 0.9% saline | no estimate extracted | 21 studies · 2479 participants | Low Downgraded: risk of bias, inconsistency |
Clinical severity score (post‐treatment) at day 1 Nebulised hypertonic saline vs nebulised 0.9% saline | no estimate extracted | 10 studies · 893 participants | Low Downgraded: risk of bias, inconsistency |
Clinical severity score (post‐treatment) at day 2 Nebulised hypertonic saline vs nebulised 0.9% saline | no estimate extracted | 10 studies · 907 participants | Low Downgraded: risk of bias, inconsistency |
Clinical severity score (post‐treatment) at day 3 Nebulised hypertonic saline vs nebulised 0.9% saline | no estimate extracted | 10 studies · 785 participants | Low Downgraded: risk of bias, inconsistency |
Rate of hospitalisation Nebulised hypertonic saline vs nebulised 0.9% saline | RR 0.87 [0.78, 0.97] | 8 studies · 1760 participants | Low Downgraded: inconsistency, publication bias |
Rate of readmission to hospital Nebulised hypertonic saline vs nebulised 0.9% saline | RR 0.83 [0.55, 1.25] | 6 studies · 1084 participants | Low Downgraded: risk of bias, imprecision |
Number of days to resolution of symptoms and signs (wheezing) Nebulised hypertonic saline vs nebulised 0.9% saline | no estimate extracted | 2 studies · 205 participants | Very low Downgraded: risk of bias, imprecision, inconsistency |
Number of days to resolution of symptoms and signs (cough) Nebulised hypertonic saline vs nebulised 0.9% saline | no estimate extracted | 3 studies · 363 participants | Very low Downgraded: risk of bias, imprecision, inconsistency |
Number of days to resolution of symptoms and signs(pulmonary moist crackles) Nebulised hypertonic saline vs nebulised 0.9% saline | no estimate extracted | 2 studies · 205 participants | Very low Downgraded: risk of bias, imprecision, inconsistency |
Adverse events Assessed by investigators or reported by parents Nebulised hypertonic saline vs nebulised 0.9% saline | no estimate extracted | 27 studies · 4416 participants | Low Downgraded: risk of bias, inconsistency |
Nebulised hypertonic saline compared with nebulised 0.9% saline for acute bronchiolitis in infants
Population: infants up to 24 months of age with acute bronchiolitis
| Outcome | Effect | Evidence | Status / GRADE |
|---|---|---|---|
Length of hospital stay (days) Nebulised hypertonic saline vs nebulised 0.9% saline | no estimate extracted | 17 studies · 1867 participants | Low Downgraded: risk of bias, inconsistency |
Clinical severity score (post‐treatment) at day 1 Nebulised hypertonic saline vs nebulised 0.9% saline | no estimate extracted | 9 studies · 812 participants | Low Downgraded: risk of bias, inconsistency |
Clinical severity score (post‐treatment) at day 2 Nebulised hypertonic saline vs nebulised 0.9% saline | no estimate extracted | 8 studies · 603 participants | Low Downgraded: risk of bias, inconsistency |
Clinical severity score (post‐treatment) at day 3 Nebulised hypertonic saline vs nebulised 0.9% saline | no estimate extracted | 7 studies · 499 participants | Low Downgraded: risk of bias, inconsistency |
Hospitalisation rate Nebulised hypertonic saline vs nebulised 0.9% saline | RR 0.86 [0.76, 0.98] | 8 studies · 1723 participants | Moderate Downgraded: risk of bias, inconsistency |
Re‐admission rate Nebulised hypertonic saline vs nebulised 0.9% saline | RR 0.77 [0.48, 1.25] | 6 studies · 787 participants | Moderate Downgraded: risk of bias, inconsistency |
Adverse events Nebulised hypertonic saline vs nebulised 0.9% saline | no estimate extracted | 24 studies · 3723 participants | Ungraded |
Comparison
Population: infants up to 24 months of age with acute bronchiolitis
| Outcome | Effect | Evidence | Status / GRADE |
|---|---|---|---|
Length of hospital stay (days) | no estimate extracted | 500 participants | High |
Clinical severity score (post‐treatment) at day 1 The clinical score of Wang 1992 in which each of 4 symptoms and signs (respiratory rate, wheezing, retraction and general condition) was graded on a scale of 0 to 3, with increased severity receivi... | no estimate extracted | 7 studies · 640 participants | High |
Clinical severity score (post‐treatment) at day 2 The clinical score of Wang 1992 as described above | no estimate extracted | 7 studies · 636 participants | High |
Clinical severity score (post‐treatment) at day 3 The clinical score of Wang 1992 as described above | no estimate extracted | 6 studies · 439 participants | High |
Rate of hospitalisation Duration of | RR 0.63 [0.37, 1.07] | 4 studies · 380 participants | Moderate |
Rate of readmission Duration of | RR 1.05 [0.62, 1.76] | 366 participants | Moderate |
Adverse events | no estimate extracted | 11 studies · 1090 participants | High |