title: Hypertonic saline for bronchiolitis in infants.
abstract: OBJECTIVE
  Recently, a 1-year-old patient returned from admission in the hospital for bronchiolitis, and the report I received indicated that he was treated with inhaled hypertonic saline, among other treatments. Is this therapy recommended for children in the acute care setting?
  
  
  CONCLUSIONS
  Bronchiolitis, caused mostly by respiratory syncytial virus, is very common in the winter. It is the most frequent cause of hospitalization in infancy. Several good studies have been conducted in the past decade on the use of nebulized hypertonic saline for bronchiolitis management; however, they offer conflicting results. While there might be a role for the use of nebulized hypertonic saline in children who are hospitalized with bronchiolitis for more than 3 days, treatment in other settings does not confer enough benefit to recommend its use.
authors.forename: Simran
authors.initials: S
authors.lastname: Grewal
authors.forename: Ran D
authors.initials: RD
authors.lastname: Goldman
mesh_terms: D001988:Bronchiolitis / Q000188:drug therapy*; D001993:Bronchodilator Agents / Q000627:therapeutic use*; D002170:Canada; D019317:Evidence-Based Medicine; D006760:Hospitalization; D006801:Humans; D007223:Infant; D007231:Infant, Newborn; D008297:Male; D009330:Nebulizers and Vaporizers; D012462:Saline Solution, Hypertonic / Q000008:administration & dosage*
chemical_list: D001993:Bronchodilator Agents; D012462:Saline Solution, Hypertonic