Bronchiolitis is a leading cause of acute illness and hospitalization in the first year of life. Most children with bronchiolitis have mild disease and are managed at home with support from primary care providers, while children with more severe symptoms require supportive therapy with oxygen and fluid administration.

Neonates may be obligate nasal breathers until they are at least 2 months old and nasal obstruction may play a relevant role in respiratory resistances throughout the first months of life, whereas nasal passages may exhibit as much as 50% of the total airway resistance. Some guidelines recommend to clear the nostrils of secretions to improve airway patency but no controlled trial on the efficacy of nasal irrigation in infants with bronchiolitis was carried out.

The aim of this randomized controlled trial is to compare normal saline and hypertonic solution for nasal irrigation versus simple supportive care in infants admitted to Emergency Department with bronchiolitis and mild desaturation.

Inclusion Criteria:

• infants <1 year
• diagnosis of bronchiolitis with respiratory distress, rhinitis, cough
• oxygen saturation between 88 and 94%

Exclusion Criteria:

• previous treatments (nasal irrigation or suctioning, oxygen, nebulized drugs, nebulized hypertonic solution, antipyretics up to 6 hours before the study entry, oral steroids at any time before study entry)
• chronic illness