An interventional study of Outpatient Respiratory Physiotherapy in Acute Viral Bronchiolitis, sponsored by University of Sao Paulo. Recruiting at 1 site in Brazil. Open to participants aged Up to 12 Months. Per ClinicalTrials.gov, last updated 2026-09-16.
Sponsored by University of Sao Paulo · Not applicable, Interventional, and Treatment
Acute Viral Bronchiolitis (AVB) is one of the leading causes of respiratory illness and hospitalization among infants during the first year of life, generating a substantial burden on healthcare services and public health expenditures. Despite the widespread use of respiratory physiotherapy in clinical practice, there is limited evidence regarding its effectiveness in preventing hospital admissions when provided in an outpatient setting.
This quasi-experimental study aims to evaluate the impact of an outpatient respiratory physiotherapy protocol on hospitalization rates among infants up to 12 months of age diagnosed with mild to moderate acute viral bronchiolitis in the public healthcare system of Sorocaba, Brazil. Infants referred for respiratory physiotherapy will be compared with a similar group of infants who receive standard medical care without physiotherapy referral.
The physiotherapy protocol includes slow expiratory techniques, rhinopharyngeal retrograde clearance, cough stimulation, and continuous positive airway pressure (CPAP) when clinically indicated. Participants will be followed through medical records and telephone monitoring.
The primary outcome is hospital admission due to bronchiolitis. Secondary outcomes include length of hospital stay, healthcare costs, and clinical evolution. The findings may provide evidence on whether outpatient respiratory physiotherapy can reduce hospitalizations and optimize healthcare resource utilization in infants with acute viral bronchiolitis.
Acute Viral Bronchiolitis (AVB) is the most common lower respiratory tract infection in infants and one of the leading causes of emergency department visits and hospital admissions during the first year of life. The disease imposes a substantial burden on healthcare systems, particularly during seasonal epidemics, resulting in increased healthcare utilization and costs.
Although respiratory physiotherapy is frequently used in clinical practice, its role in the management of bronchiolitis remains controversial. Most available studies have focused on hospitalized infants and have shown inconsistent results regarding clinically relevant outcomes. Furthermore, evidence regarding the effectiveness of respiratory physiotherapy in outpatient settings is scarce, and little is known about its potential impact on hospital admission rates and healthcare costs.
This study will be conducted in the public healthcare network of Sorocaba, São Paulo, Brazil, and is designed as a quasi-experimental study intended to emulate a clinical trial under real-world conditions. Infants up to 12 months of age diagnosed with mild or moderate acute viral bronchiolitis in participating emergency care units will be included. Participants referred for outpatient respiratory physiotherapy will constitute the intervention group, while infants with similar clinical characteristics who are not referred for physiotherapy will serve as the comparison group.
The respiratory physiotherapy protocol will include slow expiratory techniques, rhinopharyngeal retrograde clearance, cough stimulation, and continuous positive airway pressure (CPAP) when clinically indicated. Clinical assessment and treatment decisions will be based on standardized evaluation procedures and disease severity classification using the Wang Bronchiolitis Severity Score.
Data will be obtained from electronic medical records, physiotherapy records, and follow-up telephone contacts. The study aims to generate evidence regarding the effectiveness of outpatient respiratory physiotherapy in reducing healthcare utilization and improving the management of infants with acute viral bronchiolitis within a public healthcare system.
289 studies on the registry are indexed under Bronchiolitis; 51 are open to participants now.
This study's planned enrollment of 1,000 is above the median of 100 across 195 interventional studies indexed under Bronchiolitis.
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Before you join, the study team explains what taking part involves — its purpose, what happens, the risks and possible benefits — and answers your questions, so you can decide freely. Consent is usually recorded on a form (the informed consent form, ICF) signed by you or, where the law allows, by someone legally authorised to decide for you.
You can keep asking questions during the study, you are told of new information that matters, and you can choose to leave at any time.
Explained by clinicaltrials.gg, not part of the registry record. The study team decides who can take part.
Infants diagnosed with mild to moderate acute viral bronchiolitis who are referred for outpatient respiratory physiotherapy. The intervention may include slow expiratory techniques, rhinopharyngeal retrograde clearance, cough stimulation, and continuous positive airway pressure (CPAP) when clinically indicated, according to a standardized physiotherapy protocol.
Procedure: Outpatient Respiratory Physiotherapy
Infants diagnosed with mild to moderate acute viral bronchiolitis who receive standard medical care through the municipal healthcare system. Outcome data will be obtained from routine clinical records.
Participants will receive an outpatient respiratory physiotherapy protocol for the management of mild to moderate acute viral bronchiolitis. The intervention may include Prolonged Slow Expiration, Slow Expiratory Flow Increase, Rhinopharyngeal Retrograde Clearance, cough stimulation, and continuous positive airway pressure (CPAP) when clinically indicated. Treatment will be individualized according to the infant's clinical condition, respiratory assessment findings, and bronchiolitis severity as determined by the Wang Bronchiolitis Severity Score. Sessions will be performed by trained physiotherapists and repeated as necessary based on clinical progression until discharge from physiotherapy follow-up.
Also known as: Chest Physiotherapy, Respiratory Therapy, Airway Clearance Techniques
Hospitalization Prevention
Proportion of infants with acute viral bronchiolitis who do not require hospital admission after outpatient physiotherapy management.
Time frame: during the hospitalization period (up to 15 days)
costs from the Brazilian public healthcare system perspective
Direct costs related to hospital admissions among infants with acute viral bronchiolitis, including hospitalization expenses and healthcare resource utilization.
Time frame: during the period of hospitalization
Plan to share: No — Individual participant data (IPD) will not be shared because the study involves identifiable health information from infants obtained through medical records and follow-up contacts. Although the data will be anonymized for analysis, no data-sharing plan has been established, in accordance with institutional policies and ethical requirements to protect participant confidentiality.
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