N- Acetylcysteine in Airway Clearance in Broncheictasis

Efficacy of Nebulized Versus Intravenous N- Acetylcysteine in Airway Clearance in Broncheictasis

It has been deduced that reducing the production of mucus or improving the clearance of sputum in the airway is the key to enhance the therapeutic efficacy for bronchiectasis . Mucoactive drugs are commonly used to clear the airway in mucus hypersecretion diseases. Currently, investigators have found that N-acetylcysteine (NAC), an effective mucolytic agent, not only reduces the viscosity and elasticity of sputum, but it also has anti-inflammatory and antioxidant activity.

Additionally, the Spanish guidelines on the treatment of bronchiectasis indicate that the use of N-acetylcysteine should be considered for patients with bronchiectasis and COPD. Therefore, as a classic mucolytic agent with antioxidant and anti-inflammatory properties, N-acetylcysteine can be effective in the treatment of bronchiectasis

Study Overview

• Status: Not yet recruiting
• Conditions: Broncheictasis
• Intervention / Treatment: Drug: N Acetyle cysteine given by IV injection; Drug: Nebulized N Acetyle cysteine

• Study Type: Interventional
• Enrollment (Estimated): 70
• Phase: Not Applicable

Participation Criteria

Eligibility Criteria

• Ages Eligible for Study: Adult; Older Adult
• Accepts Healthy Volunteers: No

Description

Inclusion Criteria:

• Subjects aged above 18 years old; with a diagnosis of bronchiectasis who are admitted to chest department due to acute exacerbation

Exclusion Criteria:

• current smokers, a known allergy to N-acetylcysteine; pregnancy or lactation (for women); primary diagnosis of COPD or asthma

Study Plan

How is the study designed?

Design Details

• Primary Purpose: Treatment
• Allocation: Randomized
• Interventional Model: Parallel Assignment
• Masking: Triple

Number of Arms

2

Arms and Interventions

Participant Group / Arm	Intervention / Treatment
Active Comparator: IV N Acetyle cysteine; Intervention: N Acetyle cysteine given by IV injection	Drug: N Acetyle cysteine given by IV injection; Arm: IV N Acetyle cysteine
Active Comparator: Nebulized N Acetyle cysteine; Intervention: Nebulized N Acetyle cysteine	Drug: Nebulized N Acetyle cysteine; Arm: Nebulized N Acetyle cysteine

What is the study measuring?

Primary Outcome Measures

Outcome Measure	Measure Description	Time Frame
sputum viscosity score	Sputum viscosity score \(0\): Normal (liquid)\(1\): Mildly increased viscosity (fluid)\(2\): Moderately increased viscosity (viscous)\(3\): Severely increased viscosity (sticky)	At the end of 1 week of treatment
Amount of sputum		At the end of 1 week treatment
Expectoration difficulty score	Expectoration difficulty score \(0\): No difficulty\(1\): Mild difficulty\(2\): Moderate difficulty\(3\): Marked difficulty	At the end of 1 week of treatment

Secondary Outcome Measures

Outcome Measure	Time Frame
Need for mechanical ventilation	At the end of 1 week of treatment

Collaborators and Investigators

• Sponsor: Assiut University

Study record dates

Study Major Dates

• Study Start (Estimated): December 1, 2025
• Primary Completion (Estimated): March 1, 2026
• Study Completion (Estimated): April 1, 2026

Study Registration Dates

• First Submitted: November 26, 2025
• First Submitted That Met QC Criteria: December 7, 2025
• First Posted (Actual): December 19, 2025

Study Record Updates

• Last Update Posted (Actual): December 19, 2025
• Last Update Submitted That Met QC Criteria: December 7, 2025
• Last Verified: December 1, 2025

More Information

Terms related to this study

• Keywords: broncheictasis; N-acetylecysteine
• Other Study ID Numbers: NAcetylcysteine broncheictasis

Plan for Individual participant data (IPD)

• Plan to Share Individual Participant Data (IPD)?: UNDECIDED

Drug and device information, study documents

• Studies a U.S. FDA-regulated drug product: No
• Studies a U.S. FDA-regulated device product: No
• product manufactured in and exported from the U.S.: No