Assessment of Airway Obstruction in Infants With Lower Respiratory Infections

Assessment of Airway Obstruction in Infants With Lower Respiratory Infections

The purpose of this study is to evaluate how two different aerosol medications may improve airway function in infants with respiratory illness. We are using two different medications and comparing the difference in lung function after each medication. We will also be taking a nasal wash sample for VEGF. We will be using this in comparing how infants respond to the aerosol medications as well. We hope to help standardize medications used for infants with bronchiolitis and RSV.

We hypothesize that VEGF production is higher in children with RSV infection than in children with other viral infections and normal controls. In addition, the degree of VEGF production is related to severity of airway obstruction. We also hypothesize that infants with higher VEGF levels are more likely to improve lung function following racemic epinephrine than albuterol.

Inclusion Criteria:

• Group 1 Infants between 2 and 24 months that are healthy
• Group 2 Infants between 2 and 24 months that have RSV or bronchiolitis and defined as the first episode of wheezing

Exclusion Criteria:

• Group 1 and 2 - no cardiac disease, no oxygen requirement, prematurity < 37 weeks, and cannot be in the ICU.