Table 1.
Baseline Patient Variables
| Variable | Epinephrine (n = 351) | Albuterol (n = 352) | p-Value (Univariate Testing) |
|---|---|---|---|
| Median age in months (IQR) | 4.8 (6.2) | 4.9 (6.1) | 1.00 |
| Male, N = 407 (57.9%) | 213 (60.7) | 194 (55.1) | 0.15 |
| Ex-premature (%) | 61 (17.4) | 69 (19.6) | 0.50 |
| Asthma or RAD in any member of immediate family | 70 (19.9) | 69 (19.6) | 0.93 |
| On albuterol before arrival in the ED, n (%) | 60 (17.1) | 64 (18.2) | 0.77 |
| On prednisone before arrival in the ED, n (%) | 15 (4.3) | 19 (5.4) | 0.66 |
| Temperature ≥ 38°C (%) | 129 (36.8) | 140 (39.8) | 0.62 |
| Age ≤ 2 months (%) | 76 (21.7) | 75 (21.3) | 1.00 |
| Age > 12 months (%) | 52 (14.8) | 41 (11.7) | 0.22 |
| First-time wheezing (%) | 198/280 (70.7) | 205/287 (71.4) | 0.85 |
| RSV antigen-positive (%) | 152/276 (55.1) | 161/277 (58.1) | 0.49 |
| SaO2 ≤ 92% (%) | 35/344 (10.2) | 25/342 (7.3) | 0.22 |
| SaO2 (±SD) | 97 (4) | 97 (3) | 0.63 |
| Mean temperature, °F (±SD) | 100.0 (1.7) | 99.9 (1.7) | 0.55 |
| Mean HR (±SD) | 156 (24) | 158 (23) | 0.35 |
| Mean RR (±SD) | 47 (13) | 46 (12) | 0.50 |
| Tachycardic (%) | 74/350 (21.1) | 88/352 (25.0) | 0.25 |
| Hydration status (%) | n = 342 | n = 346 | |
| Normal | 303 (88.6) | 303 (87.6) | |
| 5% dehydration | 24 (7.0) | 38 (11.0) | 0.02 |
| 10% dehydration | 14 (4.1) | 5 (1.5) | |
| 15% dehydration | 1 (0.3) | 0 (0) | |
| Increased work of breathing retraction severity (%) | n = 313 | n = 331 | |
| None | 20 (6.4) | 27 (8.2) | |
| Mild | 162 (51.8) | 161 (48.6) | 0.62 |
| Moderate | 115 (36.7) | 130 (39.3) | |
| Severe | 16 (5.1) | 13 (3.9) |
ED = emergency department; HR = heart rate; IQR = interquartile range; RAD = reactive airway disease; RR = respiratory rate; RSV = respiratory syncytial virus; SaO2 = oxygen saturation.