879 Acute Bronchiolitis in a Paediatric Department: Multiple-Case Study

Background and Objective: Acute viral bronchiolitis is an important cause of severe low respiratory tract infection in infants worldwide, with significant burden on the healthcare systems. The aim of the study was the analysis of factors with impact on acute bronchiolitis cases characteristics admitted in a Paediatric Department. Methods: Descriptive multiple-case study. All cases of acute bronchiolitis presenting to an Emergency Department of a tertiary care unit for a 12 months were included. The database included as variables: age, sex, risk factors, seasonal variation, clinical aspects, duration of hospitalization, and treatment. Multivariable statistics by regression analysis were used. Results: During the studied interval, 237 children with acute bronchiolitis were examined in the Emergency Department and 183 (77,21%) were admitted. The mean duration of the hospitalization was 5,3 days. 75% of the hospitalized children were younger then 12 months of age and among those, infants between 3 and 6 month (33,5%) were more often affected. 64,55% of the children were males. The risk factors identified were: prematurity, preexisting heart or lung diseases, parental smoking, and low socioeconomic conditions. All children had moderate to severe respiratory symptoms (wheezing, expiratory dyspnoea, and cough), poor feeding and 15% of them had evidence of respiratory distress at admission. There was a large spectrum of medication administered (i.e. bronchodilators, inhaled/systemic corticotherapy, antileukotriens) at the studied group. Conclusions: Acute viral bronchiolitis is an important cause of hospitalization in children. Although hospitalized children had favourable outcome, large variations in treatment mandate the reinforcement of current guidelines and protocols.