PubMed Health⌕ Search

Biomedical subjects

R Chavasse

Publications and source records attributed to R Chavasse.

5 recordsLinked to original sources

Short acting beta agonists for recurrent wheeze in children under 2 years of age.

BACKGROUND: Wheeze is a common symptom in infancy and is a common cause for both primary care consultations and hospital admission. Beta2-adrenoceptor agonists (b2-agonists) are the most frequently used as bronchodilator but their efficacy is questionable. OBJECTIVES: To determine the effectiveness of b2-agonist for the treatment of infants with recurrent and persistent wheeze. SEARCH STRATEGY: Relevant trials were identified using the Cochrane Airways Group database (CENTRAL), Medline and Pubmed. The database search used the following terms: Wheeze or asthma and Infant or Child and Short acting beta-agonist or Salbutamol (variants), Albuterol, Terbutaline (variants), Orciprenaline, Fenoterol SELECTION CRITERIA: Randomised controlled trials comparing the effect of b2-agonist against placebo in children under 2 years of age who had had two or more previous episodes of wheeze, not related to another form of chronic lung disease. DATA COLLECTION AND ANALYSIS: Eight studies met the criteria for inclusion in this meta-analysis. The studies investigated patients in three settings: at home (3 studies), in hospital (2 studies) and in the pulmonary function laboratory (3 studies). The main outcome measure was change in respiratory rate except for community based studies where symptom scores were used. MAIN RESULTS: The studies were markedly heterogeneous and between study comparisons were limited. Improvement in respiratory rate, symptom score and oxygen saturation were noted in one study in the emergency department following two salbutamol nebulisers but this had no impact on hospital admission. There was a reduction in bronchial reactivity following salbutamol. There was no significant benefit from taking regular inhaled salbutamol on symptom scores recorded at home. REVIEWER'S CONCLUSIONS: There is no clear benefit of using b2-agonists in the management of recurrent wheeze in the first two years of life although there is conflicting evidence. At present, further studies should only be performed if the patient group can be clearly defined and there is a suitable outcome parameter capable of measuring a response.

Adrenergic beta-Agonists↗

Partial liquid ventilation and nitric oxide in experimental acute lung injury.

OBJECTIVE: To investigate the effects of inhaled nitric oxide (iNO) and partial liquid ventilation (PLV) on oxygenation and pulmonary haemodynamics in acute lung injury (ALI), and to assess their effects on lung function, systemic haemodynamics and lung injury. METHODS: Using saline lung lavage, ALI was induced in 18 piglets. A control group was ventilated with conventional mechanical ventilation (CMV) for 2 h. An iNO-first group received iNO for the first hour and then iNO with PLV. A PLV-first group received PLV for the first hour and then PLV with iNO. Variables were measured at baseline, 5 min postlavage, and at 1 h and 2 h postlavage. RESULTS: During the first hour, both treatment groups showed improvement in oxygenation index (OI). At 2 h, the dif-ferences in OI were statistically significant (P = 0.037), with a mean +/- SD of 23.8 +/- 20.7 in the control group, 4.4 +/- 0.9 in the PLV-first group and 6.5 +/- 3.1 in the iNO-first group. The OI was similar in both treatment groups (P = 0.178). At 2 h, the pulmonary artery pressure (PAP) was significantly different (P = 0.04) between groups, with a mean +/- SD PAP of 36.3 +/- 7.2 mmHg in the control group, 27.4 +/- 4.0 mmHg in the PLV-first group and 30.0 +/- 4.1 mmHg in the iNO-first group. The PAP was similar in both treatment groups (P = 0.319). CONCLUSION: In ALI, oxygenation and pulmonary hypertension are improved with PLV and iNO given together, regardless of the order in which they are commenced.

Administration, Inhalation↗

Changes in lung function between age 8 and 14 years in children with birth weight of less than 1,501 g.

We set out to determine whether lung function of children with a birth weight of <1,501 g changed relative to expectations between the ages of 8 and 14 years. We hypothesized that changes in lung function may differ between those of birth weight above and below 1,000 g. The subjects of this study were born in the Royal Women's Hospital, Melbourne. There were 86 consecutive survivors with birth weights <1,000 g born between January 1, 1977 and March 31, 1982, and 124 consecutive survivors with birth weights 1,000-1,500 g born between October 1, 1980 and March 31, 1982. Lung function was measured at both age 8 and 14 years, corrected for prematurity in 78% (67/86) of those with birth weight <1,000 g, and in 69% (86/124) of those with birth weight 1,000-1,500 g. Overall, lung function was similar to predicted values at both 8 and 14 years of age [e.g., (forced expired volume in 1 s, FEV1% predicted) at age 8 years mean 88.5% (SD 14.7) and at age 14 years, mean 94.9% (SD 13.8)]. There were significant changes, mostly improvements, in lung function between age 8-14 years relative to predicted values: FEV1 (% predicted) increased between 8-14 years of age by a mean of 6.4 (95% confidence interval, 4.4-8.3). The improvements in some lung function variables were significantly greater in those of birth weight <1,000 g compared with those of birth weight 1,000-1,500 g: improvement in FEV1 (% predicted) between age 8-14 years in infants with birth weight <1,000 g had a mean of 10.3 (SD 13.1), and in those with birthweight 1,000-1,500 g a mean of 3.3 (SD 10.1). We conclude that lung function improved significantly relative to predicted values in children of birth weight <1,501 g between age 8-14 years. The improvements were greatest in those of birth weight <1,000 g.

Adolescent↗