A randomised controlled trial to assess the relative benefits of large volume spacers and nebulisers to treat acute asthma in hospital

This is a critical abstract of an economic evaluation that meets the criteria for inclusion on NHS EED. Each abstract contains a brief summary of the methods, the results and conclusions followed by a detailed critical assessment on the reliability of the study and the conclusions drawn. The authors concluded that spacer devices proved to be not only as safe as conventional nebulisers but also more effective, because children in the spacer group showed a significant improvement in their symptoms at two weeks. In addition, spacer devices appeared to be less expensive than conventional nebulisers. The estimated cost savings for a district hospital treating 200 children would be about 3,000.