Pediatric bronchopneumonia is a common clinical respiratory disease in pediatrics and is the leading cause of death in children<5 years of age. The clinical course of bronchopneumonia is influenced by a number of factors, including the patient's age, condition, immunity, and various medical interventions. In addition to infection control, anti-inflammatory measures such as cough suppression and sputum reduction should not be neglected. At present, the clinical treatment of pediatric bronchopneumonia is mainly the application of anti-infective drugs for antibacterial and antiviral therapy, but the simple application of anti-infective drug therapy is not ideal.

Ambroxol hydrochloride is an expectorant, on the one hand, it can dilute sputum, strengthen the ciliary function of columnar epithelial cells, which is conducive to sputum discharge; on the other hand, it can promote the synthesis and secretion of alveolar surface-active substances, and reduce the surface tension; in addition, it has an antioxidant effect as well as reduces the release of inflammatory mediators, attenuates bronchial hyperresponsiveness and reduces inflammatory reactions in lung tissues. Other studies have shown that Ambroxol hydrochloride increases the concentration of antimicrobial drugs in the airways, enhances their anti-infective capacity, and strengthens the ability of macrophages to phagocytose and kill bacteria. Therefore, Ambroxol Hydrochloride is widely used in the clinical treatment of respiratory diseases to stop cough and expectorant, especially nebulized inhalation can directly enter the lesion to play a rapid role. Budesonide is a new type of adrenocorticotropic hormone, with high glucocorticoid receptor binding capacity, strong anti-inflammatory effect, and a small dose can achieve significant therapeutic effect.

The application of budesonide in the treatment of pneumonia is mainly related to the following effects:

1.inhibition of the synthesis and release of inflammatory cytokines and inflammatory mediators.

2. Repairing the airway and inhibiting airway hyperreactivity.

3. Inhibiting the release of mucus glycoproteins in the airways and secretion from the airway epithelial mucosa. 

The systemic adverse effects of glucocorticoids limit the clinical use of these drugs. However, nebulized inhalation budesonide dose is small, the drug is mainly absorbed by the lungs, high deposition rate in the lungs, long retention time, strong local anti-inflammatory effect, and strong first-pass metabolism of budesonide swallowed through the mouth (90%), so there are fewer adverse reactions at therapeutic doses, and the safety is higher.

A study showed that budesonide combined with aminobromosol hydrochloride nebulized inhalation treatment of pediatric bronchopneumonia was superior to nebulized inhalation of aminobromosol hydrochloride alone, both in terms of the degree of symptom elimination and the duration of symptoms. Therefore, budesonide combined with ambroxol hydrochloride nebulized inhalation is effective in improving the symptoms of pediatric bronchopneumonia, and is worthy of clinical recommendation.

Invasive mechanically assisted ventilation is a common treatment for intensive care unit (ICU) patients. Because of a variety of factors, including an aging population, the number of patients who receive mechanical ventilation is increasing. Each year, one-third of patients require mechanical ventilation (MV) for more than 48 h, and many patients require aerosol therapy during the MV. Aerosol therapy is a safe and convenient method of treatment and commonly used in patients with invasive MV in the ICU, especially for patients with asthma and chronic obstructive pulmonary disease. The three most commonly used aerosolizing drugs are bronchodilators, corticosteroids, and antibiotics. However, the effect of aerosolized inhalation is reduced due to the establishment of an artificial airway in a tracheal intubated patient.  In patients with artificial airways, aerosol transmission was only one-sixth of what it was in patients without artificial airways. Over the past 25 years, with the development of aerosol equipment and operation technology, the aerosol delivery to invasive MV patients has almost been matched and even exceeded that reported in patients with nonartificial airways.

Many factors may affect the efficacious delivery of aerosols to the lungs. These factors are associated with patients, drugs, devices, artificial airways, ventilator settings, and ventilator circuits. The position of nebulizers placed by ICU nurses is another important factor. In clinical practice, the most common nebulizer position was between the tracheal tube and the Y-piece (41~46%) or after Y-piece (39~41%), respectively. Many in vitro tests showed that, when the nebulizer was placed after Y-piece or between the ventilator inlet and heated humidifier, drug delivery to the lungs was the largest.

A study indicated that when the nebulizer was placed 80 cm away from the Y-piece, the salbutamol concentrations were the highest in both serum and urine, whilst the lowest drug concentration was found when the nebulizer was located between the tracheal tube and Y-piece.

                                            Different positions of the nebulizer

Most patients with invasive MV will receive aerosol therapy every day, and ICU nurses play a crucial role during the implementation of this therapy. However, some studies showed marked discrepancies in the nebulizer operation between trial and clinical practice paradigms. This was particularly true when it came to the optimal nebulizer position. Thus, targeted atomization education or training is necessary for all ICU nurses. Increasing the awareness of ICU nurses to different nebulizer positions will likely affect aerosol delivery and help determine which position is best for patients. Moreover, standards or guidelines for aerosol therapy should focus on standardizing the atomization operation and developing measures to deal with potential hazards. Furthermore, targeted atomization educational programs should be implemented through departments or hospital education and academic conferences. Finally, future atomization studies should attempt to mirror clinical practice settings and be easy to operate. Even though the study data shows that changing the ventilator parameters during the atomization operation may be more effective, this may be very difficult to implement in clinical practice.

Reference

[1] Tobin M., Manthous C. Mechanical ventilation. American Journal of Respiratory and Critical Care Medicine.

[2] Luyt C. E., Hékimian G., Bréchot N., Chastre J. Aerosol therapy for pneumonia in the intensive care unit. Clinics in Chest Medicine.

[3] Pleasants R. A., Hess D. R. Aerosol delivery devices for obstructive lung diseases. Respiratory Care.

[4] Wen M., Zheng F. M., Li G. X., Xu J. Q. Observation on the airway effect of nebulizer at different positions for patients undergoing mechanical ventilation. Chinese General Nursing. 

Mechanically ventilated patients should be in a sitting or semi-sitting position during nebulization inhalation therapy. Domestic and foreign research and expert consensus recommend this position. When in a sitting or semi-sitting position, the patient's diaphragm moves downward and the chest cavity expands, which can increase the amount of bronchial gas exchange and improve the effect of nebulization therapy. For mechanically ventilated patients, the healthy side should be in a lying position and the head of the bed should be raised to 30~50° during nebulization therapy, which is conducive to the deposition of nebulized drugs. In addition, raising the head of the bed by 45° can reduce the incidence of ventilator-associated pneumonia (VAP) in mechanically ventilated patients.

Any obstruction in the ventilator circuit or tracheal tube, whether due to the accumulation of condensed water, tubing bends or kinks, may cause the aerosol to hit the narrow part of the tubing; the angle of the airway outlet will also affect the flow characteristics of the aerosol and increase the possibility of impact, resulting in aerosol waste and affecting the efficiency of atomization. It can be seen that before the ventilator atomization inhalation treatment, it is important to organize the ventilator pipeline and clean the condensed water.

The retention of airway secretions in patients will increase airway resistance, resulting in uneven distribution of aerosol in the airway and reduced drug deposition rate, thus affecting the effect of atomization treatment. Therefore, before atomization inhalation treatment, the sputum blocking the artificial airway should be fully aspirated.

In order to reduce the need to disconnect the ventilator circuit and avoid the escape of aerosols to contaminate the environment, it is recommended that mechanically ventilated patients use a closed suction device during aerosol inhalation therapy. The use of a closed suction device can reduce the risk of medical staff being exposed to contaminated condensed water and airway secretions. Compared with an open suction device, a closed suction device can prevent the occurrence of VAP, shorten the length of ICU stay, and reduce the rate of respiratory microbial colonization. Therefore, there is no need to remove the closed suction device during ventilator aerosol inhalation therapy.

Reference

[1] DHAND R.How should aerosols be delivered during invasive mechanical ventilation?［J］.Respir Care，2017，62（10）：1343-1367.

[2] WILLIAMS J P，ARI A，SHANMUGAM R，et al.The effect of different closed suction catheter designs and pmdiadapters on aerosol delivery in simulated adult mechanical ventilation with and without exhaled humidity ［J］.Respir Care，2018，63（9）：1154-1161.

[3] HESS D.The ventilator circuit ［ED/OL］. （2021 -10 -14）［2021-10-15］

Aerosol inhalation is used to treat respiratory diseases such as asthma, chronic obstructive pulmonary disease, bronchitis and pneumonia[1].It has the advantages of simple operation, high local drug concentration and few side effects,and is therefore very popular among clinicians and patients.However,not all drugs are suitable for nebulization inhalation.

The most commonly used nebulization preparations includeβ2 receptor agonists and steroids. The main nebulization products on the domestic and foreign markets include salbutamol, ipratropium bromide, budesonide, isoproterenol, etc.[2]. Ambroxol is an expectorant widely used in clinical practice. It has the effect of dissolving sticky sputum and making sputum easier to cough up. Because ambroxol has a rapid and effective effect, good tolerance, and can be used for a long time, it is considered to be an ideal expectorant[3].

The method of administration in its instructions and relevant pharmacopoeias is oral or intravenous administration. No nebulizer inhalation has been launched on the market so far. However, many domestic clinicians use ambroxol injection for nebulization inhalation to treat respiratory diseases.

There is currently a lack of systematic evaluation of relevant evidence on its effectiveness and safety. This study systematically evaluated the effect of ambroxol injection nebulization inhalation in the treatment of pneumonia, and analyzed the application value of ambroxol nebulization inhalation in the treatment of respiratory diseases in combination with clinical practice.

Reference: 

1. Dolovich MB, Ahrens RC, Hess DR, et al. Device selection and outcomes of aerosol therapy: Evidence-based guidelines: American College of Chest Physicians/American College of Asthma, Allergy, and Immunology. Chest, 2005; 127(1): 335-371.

2. Labiris NR, Dolovich MB. Pulmonary drug delivery. Part II: the role of inhalant delivery devices and drug formulations in therapeutic effectiveness of aerosolized medications. Br J Clin Pharmacol, 2003; 56(6):600-612.

3. Yang HD, Xu B. Mechanism and clinical application of ambroxol. Chinese Journal of Hospital Pharmacy, 2002; 22(1): 44.

Objective： To assess the effectiveness and safety of an aerosol inhalation of ambroxol in accessory treatment of pneumonia.

Methods： Biomedical databases, including MEDLINE, EMbase, The Cochrane Central Register of Controlled Trials (CENTRAL), CBM-disk and CNKI were searched. Randomized controlled trials (RCTs) and quasi-RCTs that compare aerosol inhalation of ambroxol with placebo or other aerosol inhalation regimens were collected. A critical quality assessment and Meta-analysis were performed for included studies.

Results： Thirteen RCTs were included and all of them were carried out in China. None of the trials described the method of randomization, allocation concealment, blind, and follow-up. With Juni scales, 13 trials scored C degree. Compared with the control group, aerosol inhalation of ambroxol improved total improvement rate and symptoms, and shortened hospital stay. Although statistical difference was not found in some comparisons, all trials showed beneficial tendency. We didn't find any RCTs describing the safety of ambroxol aerosol inhalation.

Conclusion： Because of the low quality of RCTs on ambroxol aerosol inhalation for pneumonia, no reliable conclusion can be drawn from our Meta-analysis. Well-designed RCTs and economic evaluation are urgently needed to evaluate the value and safety of aerosol inhalation of ambroxol in treating pneumonia.

No matter where I go recently, I hear coughs one after another. Winter has arrived in various places, and respiratory diseases have entered a high incidence period.

Based on the symptoms of mycoplasma pneumonia, common cold, influenza, and new crown, we can make a rough preliminary judgment

In general: influenza has more severe systemic symptoms, mycoplasma pneumonia has more severe coughs, and colds have lower fevers

If the following situations occur, seek medical attention in time:

High fever does not subside

Chest tightness, chest pain, difficulty breathing, severe headache, talking nonsense, unconsciousness

Chronic disease worsens

Can Mycoplasma pneumonia be treated at home?

In most cases, whether it is a virus or mycoplasma, if it is confined to the upper respiratory tract, most of them can heal on their own, and a small part may develop into pneumonia. Generally speaking, mycoplasma pneumonia can be improved at home with some symptomatic drugs, but it is necessary to pay attention to whether it develops into a serious condition. For example, if the child's condition improves after taking the medicine, you can observe at home; if the child still has a high fever after taking antipyretics, is listless and unwilling to eat, you should seek medical attention as soon as possible.

If you have Mycoplasma pneumonia, what can you do at home?

1. Closely observe changes in the condition, get enough rest and energy intake, and ensure water and electrolyte balance.

2. Take antipyretics correctly.

3. For those whose dry cough obviously affects rest, antitussive drugs can be used as appropriate. Expectorants include oral and nebulized drugs, and can also assist in mechanical expectoration, percussion expectoration and other physical therapies.

4. You can take the following treatment measures at home under the guidance of a doctor

for example:

Nebulized corticosteroids (such as budesonide)

For children in the acute stage of MPP, if they have obvious coughing and wheezing, and chest X-ray shows obvious inflammatory reaction and atelectasis in the lungs, inhaled glucocorticoids can be used for 1 to 3 weeks.

Nebulized albuterol inhalation

Studies have shown that children with mycoplasma pneumonia combined aerosol inhalation of budesonide and salbutamol on the basis of azithromycin, with a total effective rate of 98.00%, effectively shortening the course of the disease, significantly improving respiratory function, significantly reducing the level of inflammatory response, improving immune function and oxidation Stress-free and with certain safety.

Nebulized acetylcysteine

Acetylcysteine aerosol inhalation combined with azithromycin has a significant effect in treating children with mycoplasma pneumonia. It can suppress the inflammatory response of the children's body, reduce damage to the myocardium, and can quickly relieve the clinical symptoms of the children without significantly increasing adverse reactions.

Nebulized inhalation of ambroxol

In the clinical treatment of mycoplasma pneumonia in infants and young children, the clinical efficacy of ambroxol combined with budesonide aerosol inhalation treatment is accurate. It can control the infection in a short time, reduce the smooth muscle contraction reaction, improve the prognosis of children, and improve their quality of life.

In addition, it is recommended to gently clean the nasal cavity with normal saline regularly, which can reduce the colonization of harmful bacteria such as Mycoplasma pneumoniae in the nasal cavity and reduce the risk of infection.

A total of 70 children with wheezing pneumonia admitted to our hospital from October 2013 to December 2014 were randomly divided into an observation group (35 cases) and a control group (35 cases). The children in the control group received conventional treatment measures, while the children in the observation group received ventolin and pulmicort combined with nebulization inhalation treatment. The disappearance time of the main clinical symptoms and the occurrence of adverse reactions in the two groups were compared and observed. Results The disappearance time of the main clinical symptoms such as cough, wheezing, moist rales, and wheezing in the observation group was significantly shorter than that in the control group (P < 0.05), and the hospitalization time of the observation group was significantly shorter than that in the control group (P < 0.05). Two patients in the observation group had adverse reactions such as nausea, diarrhea, headache, and tremor, while 9 patients in the control group had adverse reactions. The incidence of adverse reactions in the observation group (5.7%) was significantly lower than that in the control group (25.7%) (P < 0.05).

1. Comparison of the disappearance time of the main clinical symptoms and hospitalization time between the two groups of patients The disappearance time of the main clinical symptoms such as cough, wheezing, moist rales and wheezing in the observation group was significantly shorter than that in the control group (P<0.05), and the hospitalization time of the observation group was significantly shorter than that in the control group (P<0.05) (see Table 1).

2. Comparison of adverse reactions between the two groups of patients Two patients in the observation group experienced adverse reactions such as nausea, diarrhea, headache and tremor, while 9 patients in the control group experienced adverse reactions. The incidence of adverse reactions in the observation group (5.7%) was significantly lower than that in the control group (25.7%) (P<0.05) (see Table 2).

  3. The results of this study showed that after the children in the observation group were treated with ventolin and Pulmicort Respules combined with nebulized inhalation on the basis of conventional comprehensive symptomatic treatment, the disappearance time of the main clinical symptoms such as cough, wheezing, moist rales, and wheezing, as well as the length of hospital stay were significantly shortened (P<0.05), and the adverse reactions such as nausea, diarrhea, headache, and tremor in the children in the observation group during treatment were reduced by 20%. This result is basically consistent with the results of Li Ru et al. [4]. It can be seen that the effect of nebulized inhalation of Pulmicort Respules combined with ventolin in children with wheezing pneumonia is good, which is beneficial to improve the clinical symptoms and signs of children.

  Pulmicort Respules is a kind of adrenocortical hormone drug, which has no halogens and has a significant inhibitory effect on respiratory tract inflammatory response. It is also beneficial to relieve respiratory hyperresponsiveness and bronchospasm symptoms [5]. The main ingredient in Pulmicort Respules is budesonide, which can strongly bind to glucocorticoid receptors. The clinical effect of subcutaneous administration is better, which is significantly higher than the treatment effect of general corticosteroid drugs. At the same time, most clinical experimental studies have shown that budesonide can effectively inhibit non-allergic inflammation and allergic inflammation induced by lymphocytes, histamine, neutrophils, mast cells, macrophages, cytokines, mediators, etc., and can also effectively improve clinical symptoms such as cough and wheezing caused by inflammatory reactions.

  The main active ingredient in ventolin is salbutamol, which is a selective β2 receptor agonist that selectively stimulates β2 receptors on bronchial smooth muscle and can also effectively dilate the bronchi [7]. The combined use of pulmicort and ventolin for aerosol inhalation can effectively increase the drug concentration in the patient's body, promote the regeneration of airway epithelial cells, repair the damaged airway as soon as possible, better improve the clinical symptoms of children, and minimize the pain and discomfort of children. Moreover, during the entire medication process, it will not cause adverse effects on the patient's physiological functions, and the treatment safety is relatively high. In summary, the clinical effect of Ventolin and Pulmicort Respules combined with nebulized inhalation in the treatment of children with wheezing pneumonia is good, which can effectively improve the clinical symptoms of children and help them to be discharged from the hospital as soon as possible, and the children have relatively few adverse reactions. It is a safe and effective treatment plan with high value for clinical promotion and reference.

Reference:

[1] Jiang Wenli. Study on the efficacy of Pulmicort Respules combined with Ventolin nebulization in the treatment of acute exacerbation of bronchial asthma in children [J]. Chinese and Foreign Medical Treatment, 2013, 1(3): 122-123.

[2] Gao Zhouli. Application value of oxygen-driven nebulization inhalation of Pulmicort Respules in the treatment of infantile asthmatic pneumonia (J). Modern Diagnosis and Treatment, 2013, 7(16): 74-75.

[3] Gu Jiachang. Observation on the efficacy of nebulization inhalation of Pulmicort Respules combined with Ventolin in the treatment of asthmatic pneumonia in children [J]. Medical Review, 2013, 19(19): 3624-3625.

[4] Li Ru. Observation on the efficacy of triple nebulization inhalation of Pulmicort Respules, Atrovent and Ventolin in the treatment of acute exacerbation of severe asthma in adults [J]. Chinese Journal of Respiratory and Critical Care Medicine, 2014, 13(3): 291-294.

[5] Zheng Rong. Observation on the efficacy of Pulmicort Respules combined with Ventolin in the treatment of asthmatic children [J]. Chinese General Practice, 2014, 12(1): 162-163.

[6] Zhang Minjie ． Analysis of the efficacy of nebulized inhalation of Pulmicort and Respules in the treatment of asthmatic pneumonia in children [J]. China Medical Guide, 2013, 11(1): 42-43.

[7] Huang Jinzhen. Observation on the efficacy of nebulized inhalation of Pulmicort and Respules combined with Wanhua in the treatment of bronchiolitis [J]. China Modern Doctor, 2013, 51(24): 43-44