Table 2. Findings from the data extraction.

RCT: randomized clinical trial; SLR: systematic literature review; WCS: Westley croup score; LOS: length of stay; KASCH: King Abdullah Specialized Children's Hospital; AE: adverse effects

Author	Year of publication	Study design	Quality tool	Primary research	Outcome evaluation
Siebert et al. [10]	2023	RCT	Cochrane risk-of-bias assessment tool	Participated in a study involving children between the ages of three months and 10 years with a WCS higher than 2, who visited a specialized pediatric emergency room	A total of 118 children were randomly divided into two groups: one exposed to outside cold air and the other to indoor room air.
Asif et al. [11]	2023	RCT	Cochrane risk-of-bias assessment tool	Included 226 kids in this study who had a WCS of 2 or more. The study showed that 0.15 mg/kg of oral dexamethasone effectively lowered the overall croup score, although it did not statistically affect respiratory and pulse rates or oxygen levels.	Conducted a study with children aged six months to six years, admitted to five different American pediatric hospitals from July 2014 to June 2016.
Tyler et al. [12]	2023	RCT	Cochrane risk-of-bias assessment tool	Conducted a study with children aged six months to six years, admitted to five different American pediatric hospitals from July 2014 to June 2016	Considerable variations in dexamethasone dosing and LOS across different hospitals were noted.
Alqahtani et al. [13]	2022	RCT	Cochrane risk-of-bias assessment tool	Reviewed electronic health records from KASCH in Riyadh, Saudi Arabia, for all croup patients between 2014 and 2018	The timing of dexamethasone administration did not significantly affect recovery or relapse rates, but chronic illnesses did significantly affect relapse rates.
Moraa et al. [14]	2021	RCT	Cochrane risk-of-bias assessment tool	Included three RCTs with a total of 91 children aged between six months and four years	Heliox appears to be no more effective than 30% oxygen for mild croup, but as effective as 100% oxygen administered with one or two doses of adrenaline.
Fernandes et al. [15]	2019	RCT	Cochrane risk-of-bias assessment tool	Children under six years with acute respiratory issues were given either inhaled or systemic corticosteroids for up to 14 days.	Short-term high-dose corticosteroid use does not seem to increase AEs in different organ systems.
Gates et al. [16]	2018	RCT	Cochrane risk-of-bias assessment tool	Conducted a study on children aged 0 to 18 years with croup, comparing the effects of glucocorticoids alone or combined with other treatments to placebos or alternative medicines	Glucocorticoids reduced croup symptoms within two hours, decreased hospital stays, and reduced return visits for care, altering the conclusions of a prior review.
Elliott et al. [17]	2017	SLR	Cochrane risk-of-bias assessment tool	Multiple RCTs and SLRs have largely focused on the effectiveness of dexamethasone as an oral remedy for croup in kids.	In situations where dexamethasone is not accessible, prednisolone seems to be a suitable alternative for treating mild to moderate croup.
Johnson et al. [18]	2014	SLR	Cochrane risk-of-bias assessment tool	Evaluated 19 studies and graded the evidence to assess the effectiveness and safety of various interventions, such as corticosteroids, nebulized budesonide, oral prednisolone, heliox, humidification, and nebulized adrenaline	We present information relating to the effectiveness and safety of the following interventions: corticosteroids, nebulized budesonide, oral prednisolone, heliox, humidification, and nebulized adrenaline.
Garbutt et al. [19]	2013	RCT	Cochrane risk-of-bias assessment tool	The study aimed to evaluate the efficacy of prednisolone at a dose of 2 mg/kg/day for three days, compared to a single dose of dexamethasone at 0.6 mg/kg and two placebo doses.	No significant differences in treatment outcomes were observed for either the child or the parent between the two croup therapies.