Utilization of nebulized 3% saline in @entity1 hospitalized with XXXX .

@entity4372 @entity1 @entity5924
OBJECTIVES: To describe utilization of 3% @entity4372 ( @entity4372 ) in hospitalized @entity1 and to evaluate the association between @entity4372 use and length of stay (LOS) in a real-world setting. STUDY DESIGN: This multicenter retrospective cohort study included @entity1 <=12 months hospitalized with @entity5924 between October 2008 and September 2011 using the Pediatric Health Information System. @entity4372 use was categorized as trial, rescue, daily, or sporadic. Differences in LOS were compared after matching daily @entity4372 recipients and nonrecipients on propensity score. RESULTS: There were 63,337 hospitalizations for @entity5924 . @entity4372 was used in 24 of 42 hospitals and 2.9% of all hospitalizations. @entity4372 use increased from 0.4% of visits in 2008 to 9.2% of visits in 2011. There was substantial variation in @entity4372 use across hospitals (range 0.1%-32.6%). When used, @entity4372 was given daily during 60.6% of hospitalizations, sporadically in 10.4%, as a trial in 11.3%, and as a rescue in 17.7%. The propensity score-matched analysis of daily @entity4372 recipients (n=953) vs nonrecipients (n=953) showed no difference in mean LOS ( @entity4372 2.3 days vs nonrecipients 2.5 days; b-coefficient -0.04; 95% CI -0.15, 0.07; P=.5) or odds of staying longer than 1, 2, or 3 days. Daily @entity4372 recipients had a 33% decreased odds of staying in the hospital>4 days compared with nonrecipients (OR 0.67; 95% CI 0.47, 0.97; P=.03). CONCLUSIONS: Variation in @entity4372 use and the lack of association between @entity4372 and mean LOS demonstrates the need for further research to standardize @entity4372 use and better define the @entity1 for whom @entity4372 will be most beneficial.
