Loading...
Inpatient care for young children with bronchiolitis can cause an overcrowding crisis during peak respiratory-virus activity. Those with hypoxia may linger in the hospital to receive supplemental oxygen, even though their condition is otherwise improved. In a recent retrospective cohort study conducted at a large children's hospital in Salt Lake City, Utah, researchers tested the hypothesis that length of stay (LOS) could be reduced by providing home oxygen therapy (HOT) after a short stay in an observation unit (OU).
During the 2010–2011 bronchiolitis season, OU-HOT was offered to the families of children aged 3 to 24 months with uncomplicated bronchiolitis (i.e., low illness severity; no comorbid conditions) who tolerated oxygen delivered …