Long-Term Functional Outcomes After Pediatric Intensive Care Unit Admission for Bronchiolitis: A 12-Month Cohort...

Area of Science:

• Pediatric critical care medicine
• Infectious diseases
• Developmental pediatrics

Background:

• Bronchiolitis is a primary cause of Pediatric Intensive Care Unit (PICU) admissions for infant lower respiratory tract infections.
• While survival rates have improved, long-term functional impairments in psychomotor development, learning, and behavior are a concern.

Purpose of the Study:

• To characterize the epidemiology and clinical features of infants admitted to the PICU for bronchiolitis.
• To assess functional outcomes at 12-month follow-up using standardized scales.

Main Methods:

• Retrospective descriptive cohort study of patients admitted to the PICU for bronchiolitis (2021-2022).
• Data collected included demographics, clinical details, microbiology, and laboratory findings.
• Functional status assessed using Pediatric Overall Performance Category (POPC), Pediatric Cerebral Performance Category (PCPC), and Functional Status Scale (FSS) at discharge and 12 months.

Main Results:

• 164 patients included; 79.7% tested positive for Respiratory Syncytial Virus (RSV).
• 31.1% required invasive mechanical ventilation; 45.7% had complications; mortality was 0.6%.
• At 12 months, functional deterioration was observed in 14.6% (POPC), 16.5% (PCPC), and 3.6% (FSS). Deterioration was linked to clinical severity, ventilation, complications, and longer hospital stays.

Conclusions:

• Most children hospitalized for bronchiolitis show stable or improved functional status one year post-PICU admission.
• A subset of patients, particularly those with severe illness and complications, experienced functional deterioration.
• Further research is needed to identify children who may benefit from closer long-term follow-up.