Testing Lavender Essential Oil Chest Wraps to Ease Cough and Breathing Problems in Hospitalized Infants With Bronchiolitis

What this Trial Is About

Researchers are evaluating if lavender essential oil chest wraps can help relieve cough and improve breathing difficulties, nighttime awakenings, and parental impact in infants with bronchiolitis compared to standard care. This multicenter randomized controlled trial takes place at Geneva University Hospital and Fribourg Cantonal Hospital in Switzerland, involving infants hospitalized with bronchiolitis. The study is in phase 4 and aims to understand the effects of adding lavender oil chest wraps to usual treatment. Participants will be randomly assigned to one of two groups one group will receive standard care plus lavender essential oil chest wraps, while the other will receive standard care alone. For those in the lavender group, a cotton cloth soaked with 10-15 ml of 10% lavender essential oil is heated and wrapped around the infants chest, covered with a woolen fabric. Standard care follows national guidelines without additional wraps. During the study, researchers will monitor cough frequency up to two days and assess secondary outcomes such as crying episodes, respiratory rate at baseline and specific hours, oxygen supplementation needs and duration, hospital stay length, and parental satisfaction. The impact on parents will be measured using a specific questionnaire at discharge. The trial will closely observe infants throughout hospitalization and assess outcomes immediately at discharge, with participation lasting the hospital stay plus up to two days of follow-up.

Efficacy of Lavender Essential Oil Chest Wraps in Infants With Bronchiolitis