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Home oxygen for children with acute bronchiolitis

S W Tie1, G L Hall, S Peter

  • 1Department of General Paediatrics, Princess Margaret Hospital for Children, Perth, Western Australia.

Archives of Disease in Childhood
|October 18, 2008
PubMed

Insights

Home oxygen therapy offers a feasible alternative for children with acute bronchiolitis. This approach reduced hospital stays by nearly two days compared to traditional inpatient care, with no serious complications.

Area of Science:

  • Pediatrics
  • Respiratory Medicine
  • Health Services Research

Background:

  • Acute bronchiolitis is a common respiratory infection in infants and young children.
  • Hospitalization with oxygen supplementation is a standard treatment for severe cases.
  • The duration and cost of inpatient care for bronchiolitis can be substantial.

Purpose of the Study:

  • To compare the feasibility and effectiveness of home oxygen therapy versus traditional inpatient hospitalization for children with acute bronchiolitis.
  • To evaluate patient outcomes, including hospital length of stay and complications.

Main Methods:

  • A prospective randomized controlled pilot study was conducted.
  • Participants were children aged 3-24 months with acute bronchiolitis requiring oxygen 24 hours post-admission.
  • Children were randomized to either home oxygen therapy with hospital-in-the-home support (HiTH) or continued inpatient care.

Main Results:

  • 44 children were recruited, with 22 in the HiTH group.
  • The HiTH group experienced significantly shorter hospital bed days (55.2 hours) compared to the inpatient group (96.9 hours) (p=0.001).
  • Readmission rates were low (one in each group), and no serious complications were reported.

Conclusions:

  • Home oxygen therapy supported by a hospital-in-the-home service is a feasible and effective alternative for selected children with acute bronchiolitis.
  • This approach can significantly reduce the length of hospital stay.
  • Further research may support wider implementation of home-based care for pediatric respiratory conditions.

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