Prolonged slow expiration technique improves recovery from acute bronchiolitis in infants: FIBARRIX randomized...

Area of Science:

• Pediatric Respiratory Medicine
• Physiotherapy Interventions
• Infant Health

Background:

• Acute bronchiolitis is a common viral respiratory infection in infants, frequently leading to hospitalization.
• Current management often focuses on supportive care, with limited evidence for specific physiotherapy interventions.
• The need for effective treatments to reduce symptom severity and hospital stay duration is critical.

Purpose of the Study:

• To evaluate the impact of prolonged slow expiration (PSE) respiratory physiotherapy on the severity of acute bronchiolitis in infants.
• To assess changes in oxygen saturation and hospital length of stay following PSE physiotherapy.
• To determine the safety and efficacy of PSE physiotherapy as an intervention for acute bronchiolitis.

Main Methods:

• A randomized controlled trial was conducted with 80 infants diagnosed with acute bronchiolitis.
• Participants were assigned to either respiratory treatment (RT) with PSE physiotherapy or standard care (control) for one week.
• Primary outcomes included the Acute Bronchiolitis Severity Scale (ABSS) score, oxygen saturation, and hospital stay duration.

Main Results:

• The PSE physiotherapy group showed significantly lower ABSS scores at multiple time points post-intervention compared to the control group.
• No significant changes in oxygen saturation were observed between the groups.
• Infants receiving PSE physiotherapy had a shorter average hospital stay, with a reduced number of days to reach an ABSS score below 2.

Conclusions:

• Prolonged slow expiration physiotherapy is effective in reducing the severity of acute bronchiolitis in infants.
• This physiotherapy technique does not adversely affect oxygen saturation levels.
• PSE physiotherapy leads to shorter hospitalizations for infants with acute bronchiolitis, indicating a beneficial role in clinical management.