Effectiveness of nebulized hypertonic saline in patients with bronchial hypersecretion

Introduction: Nebulized hypertonic saline (HS) improves quality of life and reduces exacerbations in patients with cystic fibrosis. It is unknown if it would offer the same benefits in other hypersecretory pathologies.Methods: Retrospective observational study. Patients who passed the tolerance test and started HS 5.8% with one year of follow-up were included. Clinical and healthcare parameters were quantified in the year before and after the start of treatment.Results: 101 patients, 60.4% women, 65 years (95% CI: 62.4-67.9): 82 (81.2%) bronchiectasis, 6 (5.9%) COPD, 2 (2%) asthma, 1 (1%) ILD, and 10 (9.9%) other causes. There was a reduction in bronchorrhea (91.1% vs 75.2%), recurrent infections (57.4% vs 22.8%) and cycles of antibiotic therapy (1.54 vs 0.55), as well as an increase in FEV1 (1881 ml vs. 1942 ml) and a decrease in visits to primary care (2.94 vs. 1.1), emergencies (0.36 vs. 0.17) and hospitalizations (0.17 vs. 0.17). 06). 73 patients (72.3%) presented an adequate tolerance. Conclusion: Nebulization of HS 5.8% in patients with bronchial hypersecretion is safe and has a remarkable clinical and healthcare impact.(c) 2022 Elsevier Espan tilde a, S.L.U. All rights reserved.

Automated summary

Nebulized hypertonic saline improves the quality of life and reduces exacerbations in patients with cystic fibrosis. However, it is unknown if it has the same benefits in other hypersecretory pathologies.