Related Experiment Video
Updated: Jul 3, 2026
Dry Powder and Nebulized Aerosol Inhalation of Pharmaceuticals Delivered to Mice Using a Nose-only Exposure System
Published on: April 6, 2017
A randomized, controlled trial of nasal phenylephrine in infants hospitalized for bronchiolitis
1Department of Pediatrics, Community Medical Center, Missoula, MT, USA.
Objective:
To examine the hypothesis that pharmacologic treatment of nasal obstruction, specifically alpha-adrenergic nose drops, will decrease objective signs of respiratory distress in infants with bronchiolitis.
Study Design:
Forty-one infants aged 3 weeks to 12 months hospitalized for viral bronchiolitis were enrolled in this double-blinded, placebo-controlled trial of topical 0.5% phenylephrine drops. The primary outcome measure was change in oxygen saturation. Secondary outcomes were changes in respiratory scores and vital signs.
Results:
There were no statistical differences in any of the outcome measures between groups. No adverse events were observed. Overall, participants showed an average 1.6 percentage point increase in their oxygen saturations (P = .002) and a 0.5-point improvement in respiratory score (P = .003) over the 30 minutes of the study.
Conclusions:
Topical nasal phenylephrine did not produce significant short-term improvements in clinical status in infants hospitalized for acute bronchiolitis.
Related Concept Videos
01:30Adrenergic Agonists: Therapeutic Uses
Emergency and Intensive Care Unit (ICU) applications: Pressor agents increase blood pressure, heart rate, and contractility in shock and organ failure situations. Dopamine can induce vasodilation and stimulate adrenoceptors. Endogenous catecholamines are effective in treating cardiogenic shock. α2-agonists like clonidine can reverse anesthesia-induced hypertension.
Allergies and anaphylaxis:...
01:27Upper Respiratory Drugs: Decongestants
Most decongestants are readily available over-the-counter in various...
01:23Upper Respiratory Drugs: Antitussives, Expectorants, and Mucolytics
Antitussives include codeine, dextromethorphan (Robitussin), and benzonatate (Tessalon). Codeine and dextromethorphan exert their effects centrally by suppressing the cough reflex center in the medulla. Benzonatate operates peripherally within the respiratory tract by anesthetizing...
01:16Drugs Used in Upper Respiratory Disorders: Overview
Antihistamines (e.g., Benadryl) block histamines from binding. Histamines are chemicals released during an allergic reaction in the body. As a...
01:29Respiratory Syncytial Virus Disease
01:30Epistaxis
Etiology
Possible causes of this condition include high blood pressure, trauma, low humidity, upper respiratory tract infections, allergies, foreign bodies, nasal inhalation of corticosteroids or illicit drugs, excessive use of decongestant nasal sprays, facial or nasal surgery, anatomic malformation, tumors, or systemic...