[Usefulness of early lung ultrasound in acute mild-moderate acute bronchiolitis. A pilot study]

Area of Science:

• Pediatric Pulmonology
• Medical Imaging
• Neonatal Care

Background:

• Acute bronchiolitis (AB) is a common respiratory infection in infants.
• Assessing AB severity and predicting progression are crucial for patient management.
• Lung ultrasound (LUS) is an emerging tool for evaluating respiratory conditions in children.

Purpose of the Study:

• To correlate early lung ultrasound (LUS) findings with established clinical severity scales in mild-moderate AB.
• To investigate the association between LUS findings and subsequent clinical progression of AB.

Main Methods:

• An observational prospective study involving infants diagnosed with mild-moderate AB.
• Lung ultrasound was performed within 24 hours of hospital admission, with lung involvement graded using a standardized ultrasound score (ScECO).
• ScECO was compared with two clinical scales: modified Wood Downes Ferres (WDFM) and Hospital Sant Joan de Deu (HSJD).

Main Results:

• A total of 59 infants were included. The median ScECO score increased significantly with disease severity, from 6 points (no admission) to 17 points (PICU transfer).
• ScECO showed a moderate linear association with both WDFM (rho=0.504) and HSJD (rho=0.518) scales (P<.001).
• Higher ScECO scores were significantly associated with PICU admission (OR 2.5), longer hospital stay (1.2 days), and increased oxygen therapy duration (0.87 days).

Conclusions:

• Early lung ultrasound findings demonstrate a moderate correlation with clinical severity scales in acute bronchiolitis.
• Lung ultrasound scores show a relationship with clinical progression, including PICU admission and hospital resource utilization.
• LUS may serve as a valuable, non-invasive tool for assessing AB severity and predicting outcomes.