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Evidence summaries

Humidified Air Inhalation for Viral Croup

The croup of children managed in an emergency setting appears not to improve greatly with inhalation of humidified air. Level of evidence: "B"

A systematic review 1 included 3 studies with a total of on 135 patients with moderate croup in emergency settings. The combined results from 20 to 60 minutes marginally favoured the treatment group with a weighted SMD of -0.14 (95% CI = -0.75 to 0.47; 3 studies, n=135). No outcomes were significantly different between the groups. There is insufficient evidence to exclude either a small beneficial or a harmful effect.

Comment: The quality of evidence is downgraded by imprecise results (few small studies).

References

  • Moore M, Little P. Humidified air inhalation for treating croup: a systematic review and meta-analysis. Fam Pract 2007;24(4):295-301. [PubMed]

Primary/Secondary Keywords