Predicting ICU Admission Risk in Children with Respiratory Syncytial Virus

Area of Science:

• Pediatrics
• Infectious Diseases
• Critical Care Medicine

Background:

• Respiratory syncytial virus (RSV) is a leading cause of hospitalization in young children, often necessitating intensive care.
• Severe lower respiratory tract illness can result from RSV infection, particularly in vulnerable infants.

Purpose of the Study:

• To identify key risk factors associated with intensive care unit (ICU) admission in pediatric patients hospitalized with RSV.
• To analyze demographic and perinatal factors influencing the severity of RSV disease.

Main Methods:

• A retrospective study utilizing Electronic Medical Record (EMR) data from three Korean tertiary care centers (2008-2022).
• Data was standardized using the Observational Medical Outcomes Partnership (OMOP) Common Data Model (CDM).
• 1529 children hospitalized with RSV were analyzed to determine risk factors for ICU admission.

Main Results:

• Younger age, particularly 0-5 months, was strongly associated with increased odds of ICU admission (aOR 10.39).
• Preterm infants (gestational age < 27 weeks) faced a 71-fold increased odds of ICU admission (aOR 71.64).
• Extremely low birth weight correlated with a 31-fold increase in ICU admission odds (aOR 31.16).

Conclusions:

• Young age, low gestational age, and low birth weight are significant risk factors for severe RSV requiring ICU admission in children.
• The OMOP-CDM is an effective tool for identifying risk factors in large pediatric cohorts.
• Further research is warranted to validate these findings and explore additional risk factors for severe RSV outcomes.