Rhinopharyngeal retrograde clearance induces less respiratory effort and fewer adverse effects in comparison with nasopharyngeal aspiration in infants with acute viral bronchiolitis

Abstract

BACKGROUND: Acute viral bronchiolitis is an inflammatory disease of the lower respiratory tract. This study aimed to compare the immediate effects of retrograde rhinopharyngeal clearance with nasopharyngeal aspiration in children admitted with acute viral bronchiolitis. METHODS: This was a randomized controlled clinical trial with children admitted for acute viral bronchiolitis up to 12 months old. Subjects were divided into a nasopharyngeal aspiration group and a clearance group, submitted to retrograde rhinopharyngeal clearance with physiological solution (0.9%) in-stillation. In both groups, there were 3 evaluations on the same day (data collections 1, 2, and 3), including cardiorespiratory parameters, clinical score of respiratory dysfunction, and adverse effects. RESULTS: One hundred children were included, with no statistical differences between groups regarding the characteristics of the sample. There was a significant reduction (P