Comparative study on the success rate and safety of sputum induction with hypertonic saline nebulization with single concentration and increasing concentration.

Objective To investigate the success rate and safety of sputum induction with hypertonic saline nebulization with single concentration and increasing concentration. Methods Sputum samples induced with hypertonic saline nebulization with single concentration(3%) and increasing concentration(3%-4%-5%) were collected from 20 patients with CVA.An interval of 2 days between subsequent inductions was necessary.Changes of the peak expiratory flow(PEF),heart rate(HR) and pulse oxygen saturation(SpO2) before and after induction were observed.The weight of sputum,total cell count and squamous cell percentage were examined. Results The success rates of sputum induced with hypertonic saline nebulization with single concentration and increasing concentration were 90% and 95%,respectively.No significant difference in quality of sputum between the two inductions was revealed.PEF and SpO2 were significantly reduced after induction with increasing concentration saline(P0.01),while no significant change was observed with single concentration saline(P0.05). Conclusion Hypertonic saline of 3% is as good as that of 3%-4%-5% given sequentially.However,sputum induction seems to be safer when performed with single concentration of hypertonic saline.