RSV and the high-risk infant

Respiratory syncytial virus (RSV) is a common cause of lower respiratory tract infection in infants and young children. It is most devastating to infants with certain underlying conditions such as cardiovascular and pulmonary disease, immunosuppressed infants, and those with a history of prematurity. Management of the high-risk infant with RSV is a complex process and requires an understanding of epidemiology, mode of transmission, pathophysiology, clinical manifestations, diagnosis, medical treatment and prognosis. Ribavirin therapy is part of the clinical management and must be combined with specific nursing care of those high-risk infants with RSV.