Controversies in the management of children with bronchiolitis

Things We Do for No Reason™ : Lumbar Punctures in Low-Risk Febrile Infants with Bronchiolitis

Inspired by the ABIM Foundation's Choosing Wisely^® campaign, the "Things We Do for No Reason^™ " (TWDFNR) series reviews practices that have become common parts of hospital care but may provide little value to our patients. Practices reviewed in the TWDFNR series do not represent "black and white" conclusions or clinical practice standards but are meant as a starting place for research and active discussions among hospitalists and patients. We invite you to be part of that discussion.

Australasian bronchiolitis guideline

AIM

Bronchiolitis is the most common lower respiratory tract disorder in infants aged less than 12 months, and research has demonstrated that there is substantial variation in practice patterns despite treatment being well defined. In order to align and improve the consistency of the management of bronchiolitis, an evidence-based guideline was developed for the Australasian population.

METHODS

The guideline development committee included representation from emergency and paediatric specialty medical and nursing personnel in addition to geographical representation across Australia and New Zealand - rural, remote and metropolitan. Formulation of the guideline included identification of population, intervention, comparator, outcomes and time questions and was associated with an extensive literature search from 2000 to 2015. Evidence was summarised and graded using the National Health and Medical Research Council and Grading of Recommendations Assessment, Development and Evaluation methodology, and consensus within the guideline group was sought using nominal group technique principles to formulate the clinical practice recommendations. The guideline was reviewed and endorsed by key paediatric health bodies.

RESULTS

The guideline consists of a usable clinical interface for bedside functionality supported by evidence summary and tables. The Grading of Recommendations Assessment, Development and Evaluation and National Health and Medical Research Council processes provided a systematic and transparent process to review and assess the literature, resulting in a guideline that is relevant to the management of bronchiolitis in the Australasian setting.

CONCLUSION

This is the first robust Australasian acute paediatric guideline and provides clear guidance for the management of the vast majority of patients seen in Australasian emergency departments and general paediatric wards with bronchiolitis.

Medical retrieval and needs of infants with bronchiolitis: an analysis by gestational age

AIM

Viral bronchiolitis is the most common lower respiratory tract infection in children less than 12 months of age. Prematurity is an independent risk factor for disease severity. Many infected infants require hospitalisation and those living in regional centres frequently require transfer to metropolitan hospitals capable of providing assisted ventilation.

METHOD

We reviewed infants with bronchiolitis transported by the Victorian Newborn Emergency Transport Service between January 2003 and June 2007. We compared the clinical presentation and treatment required by infants born preterm with those of their term counterparts.

RESULTS

Of the 192 infants transported, 92 were born preterm. Preterm infants were younger at time of transport (mean post-menstrual age 41 weeks vs. 45 weeks) and were more likely to require invasive ventilation (60% vs. 32%, P < 0.001) and to receive a fluid bolus (47% vs. 34%, P = 0.04) when compared with infants who had been born at term. Apnoea, either as a presenting symptom or in combination with respiratory distress, was more common in the preterm group (70% vs. 36%, P < 0.001).

CONCLUSION

Higher illness severity should be anticipated in ex-preterm infants who present with bronchiolitis. Preterm infants with bronchiolitis are more likely to require invasive ventilation and fluid resuscitation than term infants, suggesting the need for a lower threshold for referral and medical retrieval.

The Use of Albuterol in Young Infants Hospitalized with Acute RSV Bronchiolitis

Objective. To evaluate the effects of albuterol use in young infants admitted with respiratory syncytial virus (RSV) bronchiolitis with regards to length of time on supplemental oxygen and length of stay (LOS). To consider the possibility that albuterol use may increase the need for supplemental oxygen and increase LOS. Design, Setting, and Participants. Full-term infants between the ages of 11 days and 90 days (N = 316) were included in this retrospective study. Infants included were hospitalized with a diagnosis of RSV bronchiolitis at a university-affiliated children's hospital. Results. In 4 of 5 severity groups, patients who received albuterol required more time on supplemental oxygen and had longer LOS. The differences only reached statistical significance in one of the severity groups in regards to LOS. Conclusions. The use of albuterol does not appear to be useful in the treatment of young infants with RSV bronchiolitis and may actually be harmful, in regards to increased supplemental oxygen need.

Central apnoeas in infants with bronchiolitis admitted to the paediatric intensive care unit

AIM

To further characterize apnoea(s) complicating bronchiolitis because of respiratory syncytial virus (RSV), to describe the incidence of this complication and identify possible risk factors for apnoea(s) and its development.

METHODS

The files of infants admitted to the paediatric intensive care unit (PICU) for RSV bronchiolitis during three bronchiolitis seasons (2004-2007) were reviewed for demographic, clinical and laboratory parameters. Parameters were compared between patients with and without apnoeas.

RESULTS

Seventy-nine patients met the study criteria: 43 were admitted to the PICU for central apnoeas and the remainder for respiratory distress or failure. The percentage of infants admitted for apnoea increased during the study period (28.6 to 77.1%, p = 0.004). The overall prevalence of apnoea in this population was 4.3%. Possible risk factors for apnoea(s) were younger age (1.3 vs. 4.3 months, p = 0.002), lower admission weight (3.3 vs. 5 kg, p < 0.001), lower gestational age (35.8 vs. 37.8 weeks, p = 0.01), admission from the emergency room (50% vs. 9.1%, p < 0.001) and lack of hyperthermia (p < 0.001). Respiratory acidosis was found to be a protective factor on logistic regression analysis.

CONCLUSION

The prevalence of apnoea in infants admitted to the PICU for RSV bronchiolitis in our centre may be increasing. Preterm, younger infants with no fever are at relatively high risk of apnoea at presentation, while older infants with fever are at lower risk.

Innate immunity in respiratory syncytial virus bronchiolitis

Respiratory syncytial virus (RSV) bronchiolitis is a serious and distressing illness, which occurs almost exclusively in infants under one year of age. Although the majority of all children will have experienced an infection with RSV by the time they reach their second birthday, only a minority develop bronchiolitis. It is unclear why some otherwise healthy infants develop this severe illness and many studies have investigated whether or not this relates to an over-exuberant immunological response to the infection. It is increasingly being recognized that the innate immune response may play a key role.

Bronchiolitis

Bronchiolitis is a distressing, potentially life-threatening respiratory condition that affects young babies. Around 2-3% of all infants younger than 1 year are admitted to hospital with bronchiolitis, usually during the seasonal epidemic. The majority of these infants are infected with respiratory syncytial virus and all have an intense inflammatory response in their airways. Although most infants recover, they have an increased risk of recurrent wheezing. Although bronchiolitis is common, little is known about what causes infants to be susceptible. Diagnostic interventions have little effect on clinical outcome, and apart from supportive measures, there is no specific treatment. Bronchiolitis therefore presents an intriguing clinical conundrum and a major challenge to researchers. High quality clinical studies are needed to clarify assessment of disease severity and criteria for hospital admission, particularly the use of pulse oximetry and chest radiography. Careful mapping of the inflammatory pathways in the pathogenesis of bronchiolitis should lead to development of new therapies to alleviate symptoms.