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Contact the study team using the details below to take part. If there are no contact details below please ask your doctor in the first instance.

Contact Information:

Dr Padmanabhan Ramnarayan
-
p.ramnarayan@imperial.ac.uk


Mr Richard Cleaver
+44 7999 044627
r.cleaver@imperial.ac.uk


More information about this study, what is involved and how to take part can be found on the study website.

Study Location:

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Be Part of Research - Trial Details - Evaluating the clinical and cost effectiveness of breathing support treatment types in infants under 12 months of age with acute bronchiolitis

Evaluating the clinical and cost effectiveness of breathing support treatment types in infants under 12 months of age with acute bronchiolitis

Medical Conditions

Bronchiolitis


This information is provided directly by researchers, and we recognise that it isn't always easy to understand. We are working with researchers to improve the accessibility of this information. In some summaries, you may come across links to external websites. These websites will have more information to help you better understand the study.


Nearly 30,000 infants under one are admitted to hospitals in England each year with bronchiolitis, a common viral chest infection. Half of them need oxygen treatment through ‘nasal cannula’ (thin tubes inserted into the nostrils). Most infants respond to nasal cannula oxygen alone, but some need additional breathing support. In these infants, different treatments such as ‘humidified’ (moist) standard oxygen (HSO), high-flow nasal cannula (HFNC) and ‘CPAP’ (pressurised oxygen delivered through the nose) are used. However, it is not clear which of these treatments should be started and when.

HFNC, which provides warm, humidified oxygen at high flow rates, has become a popular breathing support treatment in bronchiolitis, and has mostly replaced the use of HSO in moderately ill infants. HFNC is also used in many hospitals as an alternative to CPAP in severe bronchiolitis. There is little research to show whether HFNC is better than HSO or CPAP. Since HFNC requires specialist equipment, it is more expensive and requires expert nursing resources. There is also concern HFNC may prolong hospital stay.

Start dates may differ between countries and research sites. The research team are responsible for keeping the information up-to-date.  

The recruitment start and end dates are as follows:

01 Sep 2023 31 Mar 2026

Publications

2025 Protocol article in https://pubmed.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/40810583/ (added 15/08/2025)

For this research, we will conduct two clinical trials at the same time to determine the effectiveness of HFNC. Infants with moderate bronchiolitis will be randomly allocated to start either HFNC or HSO, and infants with severe bronchiolitis HFNC or CPAP. All other treatment decisions will be left to the clinical team.

We will recruit 1508 infants (924 moderate and 584 severe bronchiolitis) over a 30-month period from children’s emergency departments and wards in 50 NHS hospitals. We will compare the treatments by measuring how quickly infants are discharged from hospital. We will also study other important outcomes such as patient comfort and parent/carer satisfaction. Our findings will inform national and international guidelines on the care of infants with bronchiolitis.


Infants aged less than 12 months with moderate or severe bronchiolitis.

You can take part if:



You may not be able to take part if:


1. Clinical decision that the patient needs immediate intubation and ventilation for life-threatening hypoxia, shock or decreased conscious level.2. Prolonged apnoeas (>10 seconds needing stimulation).3. Ongoing active air leak (pneumothorax, pneumomediastinum).4. Received HSO, HFNC or CPAP for over 2 hours in the previous 24 hours.5. On home ventilation prior to hospital admission.6. Tracheostomy in place.7. Choanal atresia/stenosis, midfacial anomalies or recent craniofacial surgery.8. Previously recruited to the BACHb trial.


Below are the locations for where you can take part in the trial. Please note that not all sites may be open.

  • South Tees Hospitals NHS Foundation Trust
    James Cook University Hospital Marton Road
    Middlesbrough
    TS4 3BW
  • NHS Lothian
    Waverley Gate 2-4 Waterloo Place
    Edinburgh
    EH1 3EG
  • North West Anglia NHS Foundation Trust
    Peterborough City Hospital Bretton Gate Bretton
    Peterborough
    PE3 9GZ
  • Belfast Health and Social Care Trust
    Trust Headquarters A Floor - Belfast City Hospital Lisburn Road
    Belfast
    BT9 7AB
  • University Hospital Southampton NHS Foundation Trust
    Southampton General Hospital Tremona Road
    Southampton
    SO16 6YD
  • NHS Grampian
    Summerfield House 2 Eday Road
    Aberdeen
    AB15 6RE
  • Manchester University NHS Foundation Trust
    Cobbett House Oxford Road
    Manchester
    M13 9WL
  • University Hospitals of Leicester NHS Trust
    Leicester Royal Infirmary Infirmary Square
    Leicester
    LE1 5WW
  • University Hospitals Bristol and Weston NHS Foundation Trust
    Trust Headquarters Marlborough Street
    Bristol
    BS1 3NU
  • Imperial College Healthcare NHS Trust
    The Bays St Marys Hospital South Wharf Road
    London
    W2 1BL
  • Barts Health NHS Trust
    The Royal London Hospital 80 Newark Street
    London
    E1 2ES
  • University Hospitals Sussex NHS Foundation Trust
    Worthing Hospital Lyndhurst Road
    Worthing
    BN11 2DH
  • Chelsea and Westminster Hospital NHS Foundation Trust
    Chelsea & Westminster Hospital 369 Fulham Road
    London
    SW10 9NH
  • Lewisham and Greenwich NHS Trust
    University Hospital Lewisham Lewisham High Street
    London
    SE13 6LH
  • Frimley Health NHS Foundation Trust
    Portsmouth Road Frimley
    Camberley
    GU16 7UJ
  • London North West University Healthcare NHS Trust
    Northwick Park Hospital Watford Road
    Harrow
    HA1 3UJ
  • Bradford Teaching Hospitals NHS Foundation Trust
    Bradford Royal Infirmary Duckworth Lane
    Bradford
    BD9 6RJ
  • South Tyneside and Sunderland NHS Foundation Trust
    Sunderland Royal Hospital Kayll Road
    Sunderland
    SR4 7TP
  • Walsall Healthcare NHS Trust
    Manor Hospital Moat Road
    Walsall
    WS2 9PS
  • Mid Cheshire Hospitals NHS Foundation Trust
    Leighton Hospital Leighton
    Crewe
    CW1 4QJ
  • Somerset NHS Foundation Trust
    Trust Management Lydeard House Musgrove Park Hospital
    Taunton
    TA1 5DA
  • Barking, Havering and Redbridge University Hospitals NHS Trust
    Queens Hospital Rom Valley Way
    Romford
    RM7 0AG
  • Salisbury NHS Foundation Trust
    Salisbury District Hospital Odstock Road
    Salisbury
    SP2 8BJ
  • Dartford and Gravesham NHS Trust
    Darent Valley Hospital Darenth Wood Road
    Dartford
    DA2 8DA
  • Gloucestershire Hospitals NHS Foundation Trust
    Cheltenham General Hospital Sandford Road
    Cheltenham
    GL53 7AN

We do not believe that there will be any direct benefit nor disadvantage to patients taking part in this study. The first treatment option that patients would have received if they were not part of the study would still have been humidified oxygen, CPAP or high-flow, but the decision would have been made by the doctor and care team instead of the study. These three treatments are being used widely across the NHS already and have all been shown to be safe. However, the information gained from patients’ participation in this study may help to improve the diagnosis and treatment of unwell children in the future. There is no monetary benefit as participants will not be paid to participate.
While the study interventions are all standard of care treatment options, the study team have considered and sought to mitigate risks that occur solely as a result of the study such as in the use of patients’ data for this research. All data will be collected, processed and stored by the study team appropriately and correctly to the highest standards of confidentiality and security. The study will comply with all relevant regulations regarding use of data and data protection. Only de-identified or pseudonymised information would be shared between study partners. All our study teams will have received training in BACHb processes and procedures and would work in accordance with the principles of Good Clinical Practice (GCP).

Mr Richard Cleaver
+44 7999 044627
r.cleaver@imperial.ac.uk


Dr Padmanabhan Ramnarayan
-
p.ramnarayan@imperial.ac.uk



More information about this study, what is involved and how to take part can be found on the study website.


The study is sponsored by Imperial College London and funded by NIHR Evaluation, Trials and Studies Co-ordinating Centre (NETSCC).




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Read full details for Trial ID: ISRCTN52937119

Or CPMS 57649

Last updated 15 August 2025

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