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Chest Physiotherapy in Infants Between 0 and 12 Months Old With Acute Bronchiolitis SRV(+)

Effectiveness of Chest Physiotherapy in Infants Hospitalized With Acute Bronchiolitis SRV (+): a Randomized Controled Trial

Status
Completed
Phases
NA
Study type
Interventional
Source
ClinicalTrials.gov
Registry ID
NCT02853838
Enrollment
204
Registered
2016-08-03
Start date
2015-03-31
Completion date
2016-10-31
Last updated
2016-10-26

For informational purposes only — not medical advice. Sourced from public registries and may not reflect the latest updates. Terms

Conditions

Bronchiolitis, Viral

Keywords

acute viral bronchiolitis, respiratory syncytial virus, chest physiotherapy

Brief summary

The purpose of this research is to determine the effect of prolonged slow expiration techniques, provoked coughing and standard therapy compared to chest wall manual vibration and standard therapy in infants between 0 and 12 months old with confirmed diagnosis of acute bronchiolitis SRV (+). The effect will be measured on respiratory insufficiency and use of supplementary oxygen.

Detailed description

Bronchiolitis is the main cause of hospital admission for infants under 1 year old in Chile. Currently, approximately 4800 children are admitted to the hospital during the cold season, affecting the health services' effectiveness. The most frequent causal agent is the Respiratory Syncytial Virus (RSV). To date, there is no specific treatment for this disease and only support measures are recommended. Chest physiotherapy is a support measure that improves the mucociliary clearance and reduces obstruction of the airways. A clinical trial on the effect of prolonged slow expiration (PSE), chest wall vibrations, and provoked coughing as treatment for bronchiolitis in infants admitted to the hospital found that the subgroup with RSV required oxygen for 10 hours less than the control group. Gomes and Postiaux (2012) reported a 50% decrease on respiratory distress measured by the Wang score when PSE and suction were compared to traditional chest physiotherapy techniques in patients with bronchiolitis RSV(+). Currently recommendations in Chile suggest chest physiotherapy for outpatients with bronchiolitis, but the guideline does not refer to the case of inpatients. It is proposed to carry out a randomized controlled trial in infants under one year old. The active group will receive standard therapy, PSE, and provoked coughing, while the control group will receive standard therapy and manual chest wall vibrations. The effectiveness of chest physiotherapy will be measured though a clinical score of respiratory distress, hours using supplementary oxygen, vital signs before and after the intervention in both groups during hospital stay. The main outcome is clinical severity score 48 hours after admission.

Interventions

OTHERProlonged slow expiration+provoked coughing

Five cycles of prolonged slow expiration and provoked coughing, which will be repeated five times. During the prolonged slow expiration, the infant will be in supine while the therapist applies pressure at the same time on the rib cage and abdomen during spontaneous expiration. The pressure is applied slowly during two o three respiratory cycles, only during the final phase of expiration.

OTHERManual chest wall vibration

Five cycles of manual chest wall vibrations during 20 seconds each, being repeated five times. The manual chest wall vibrations are oscillatory maneuvers applied on the thorax to improve mucociliary clearance of bronchial mucus and ease its removal.

OTHERStandard Therapy

Standard therapy (ST): nasopharyngeal suction, oxygen therapy, fluids administration, 0.5% adrenaline nebulization, and chest physiotherapy.

Sponsors

Hospital Padre Hurtado
CollaboratorOTHER
Universidad del Desarrollo
Lead SponsorOTHER

Study design

Allocation
RANDOMIZED
Intervention model
PARALLEL
Primary purpose
TREATMENT
Masking
SINGLE (Outcomes Assessor)

Eligibility

Sex/Gender
ALL
Age
15 Days to 12 Months
Healthy volunteers
No

Inclusion criteria

* Clinical diagnosis of bronchiolitis. * RSV positive in direct immunofluorescence assay. * Wang clinical severity score ≥ 4 points.

Exclusion criteria

* Patients with heart or neurological diseases. * Previous episodes of wheezing. * Chronic conditions such as bronchopulmonary dysplasia, immunodeficiency, or congenital diseases. * Need of mechanical ventilation in Intensive Care Unit * Contraindication criteria for chest physiotherapy (i.e. Pneumothorax, ribs fractures, hemodynamic instability). * Patients not receiving supplementary oxygen.

Design outcomes

Primary

MeasureTime frameDescription
Clinical score of respiratory distress48 hours after baseline measurementWang clinical severity score

Secondary

MeasureTime frameDescription
wheezingBaseline, 30 min, 60 min, 120 min,12 hours, 24 hours, 36 hours, and 48 hours.Wang clinical severity score
Hours of supplementary oxygen48 hours after baseline measurement
Peripheral blood oxygen levelBaseline, 30 min, 60 min, 120 min,12 hours, 24 hours, 36 hours, and 48 hours.Oxygen level or saturation is measured with a pulse oximeter
Respiratory rateBaseline, 30 min, 60 min, 120 min,12 hours, 24 hours, 36 hours, and 48 hours.Wang clinical severity score
Rib cage retractionsBaseline, 30 min, 60 min, 120 min,12 hours, 24 hours, 36 hours, and 48 hours.Wang clinical severity score
General clinical conditionBaseline, 30 min, 60 min, 120 min,12 hours, 24 hours, 36 hours, and 48 hours.Wang clinical severity score
Heart rateBaseline, 30 min, 60 min, 120 min,12 hours, 24 hours, 36 hours, and 48 hours.

Other

MeasureTime frameDescription
Transfer to high complexity unit96 hoursCategorical variable. Record of number of patients requiring treatment at a higher complexity unit (i.e. ICU)

Countries

Chile

Outcome results

None listed

Source: ClinicalTrials.gov · Data processed: Feb 4, 2026