• Gary Cornelis Geelhoed.
• Emergency Department, Princess Margaret Hospital for Children, Perth, WA, Australia. Gary.Geelhoed@health.wa.gov.au
• Pediatr Emerg Care. 2005 Jun 1; 21 (6): 359-62.

ObjectiveTo evaluate the effect of adding inhaled budesonide (2 mg) to oral dexamethasone 0.15 mg/kg in children hospitalized with croup.SettingObservation ward of a Tertiary Paediatric Hospital Emergency Department.SubjectsSeventy-two children (age range 3 to 126 months) hospitalized with croup.InterventionChildren randomized to receive either 2 mg of nebulized budesonide or placebo, with all children receiving a single oral dose of 0.15 mg/kg dexamethasone.Outcome MeasuresPrimary outcome was duration of hospital stay. Other measures included croup scores from 0 to 12 hours, use of nebulized epinephrine, duration of croup symptoms, duration of viral symptoms, and return to medical care for croup or for any other reason following discharge from hospital.ResultsBaseline characteristics for the 2 groups were similar. There was no difference in time to discharge for the 2 groups or for other outcome measures with a risk ratio of 1.3 (95% confidence intervals of 0.82 and 2.1).ConclusionsThe addition of inhaled budesonide (2 mg) to oral dexamethasone (0.15 mg/kg) offers no advantage in the treatment of children hospitalized with croup.

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