Viral Etiology Affects Length of Stay in Children with Bronchiolitis

Compared with hospitalized children with RSV alone, those with RSV plus rhinovirus had significantly longer hospital stays.

Bronchiolitis is most often caused by respiratory syncytial virus (RSV), but other respiratory viruses, including human rhinovirus (HRV), can cause the same clinical syndrome. In most clinical settings, testing is done for RSV, sometimes for influenza, parainfluenza, metapneumovirus, or adenovirus, but rarely for HRV. Polymerase chain reaction (PCR) assays allow more definitive assessment of viral etiologies for research and, in rare circumstances, for clinical care. These investigators report the results of a prospective, 16-hospital, 3-year cohort study assessing the effect of viral etiology on length of stay (LOS) in hospitalized children with bronchiolitis.

Of 2207 enrolled children with bronchiolitis, 1866 (84%) had RSV, HRV, or both (R…

Reviewing Author

Peggy Sue Weintrub, MD

Viral Etiology Affects Length of Stay in Children with Bronchiolitis

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Reviewing Author