title: A multicentre, randomised, double-blind, placebo-controlled trial of aminophylline for bronchiolitis in infants admitted to intensive care.
abstract: OBJECTIVE
  To determine whether aminophylline reduced the duration of respiratory support in children admitted to intensive care with bronchiolitis.
  
  
  METHODS
  A multicentre, randomised, double-blind, placebo controlled trial.
  
  
  METHODS
  Paediatric intensive care units in teaching hospitals.
  
  
  METHODS
  Forty-five children with severe bronchiolitis.
  
  
  METHODS
  Patients were randomly assigned to receive an infusion of aminophylline (23) or placebo (22). The primary outcome measure was the number of hours of respiratory support required in the 120 hours after randomisation; respiratory support was defined as either nasal continuous positive airways pressure or mechanical ventilation.
  
  
  RESULTS
  The trial was stopped early due to poor recruitment. Respiratory support was required for a median of only 1.5 days (interquartile range [IQR], 0.4-3.5 days) in the aminophylline group compared with 1.9 days (IQR, 0.3-3.5) days in the placebo group. However, more patients in the placebo group were receiving respiratory support at the time of randomisation and, after adjustment for this, there was no suggestion of a beneficial effect of aminophylline among the small number of patients studied (P=0.54, exact log-rank test stratified by respiratory support at the time of randomisation and censored at the time of death in one child in the aminophylline group).
  
  
  CONCLUSIONS
  Not enough children were recruited for the study to test the hypothesis that aminophylline reduces the need for respiratory support in severe bronchiolitis. Consequently, the role of aminophylline in the management of severe bronchiolitis remains unknown.
authors.affiliation: Royal Hospital for Sick Children, Glasgow, Scotland. frank.shann@rch.org.au.
authors.forename: Alastair
authors.initials: A
authors.lastname: Turner
authors.affiliation: Department of Paediatrics, University of Melbourne, Melbourne, VIC, Australia.
authors.forename: Frank
authors.initials: F
authors.lastname: Shann
authors.affiliation: Intensive Care Unit, Royal Children's Hospital, Melbourne, VIC, Australia.
authors.forename: Carmel
authors.initials: C
authors.lastname: Delzoppo
authors.affiliation: Intensive Care Unit, Royal Children's Hospital, Melbourne, VIC, Australia.
authors.forename: Robert
authors.initials: R
authors.lastname: Henning
authors.affiliation: Intensive Care Unit, Royal Children's Hospital, Melbourne, VIC, Australia.
authors.forename: Anthony
authors.initials: A
authors.lastname: Slater
authors.affiliation: Intensive Care Unit, Starship Children's Hospital, Auckland, New Zealand.
authors.forename: John
authors.initials: J
authors.lastname: Beca
authors.affiliation: Intensive Care Unit, Princess Margaret Hospital for Children, Perth, WA, Australia.
authors.forename: Simon
authors.initials: S
authors.lastname: Erickson
authors.affiliation: Intensive Care Unit, Royal Children's Hospital, Melbourne, VIC, Australia.
authors.forename: Warwick
authors.initials: W
authors.lastname: Butt
mesh_terms: D000628:Aminophylline / Q000627:therapeutic use*; D001988:Bronchiolitis / Q000188:drug therapy*; D001993:Bronchodilator Agents / Q000627:therapeutic use*; D004311:Double-Blind Method; D005260:Female; D006801:Humans; D007223:Infant; D015278:Intensive Care Units, Pediatric; D008297:Male; D016896:Treatment Outcome
chemical_list: D001993:Bronchodilator Agents; D000628:Aminophylline