Does Supplemental Oxygen Keep Infants with Bronchiolitis in the Hospital?

Although the AAP Clinical Practice Guideline for management of bronchiolitis (Journal Watch Pediatrics and Adolescent Medicine Jan 10 2007) does not recommend routine supplemental oxygen for infants and young children with bronchiolitis and pulse oxygen saturation (SpO₂) values ≥90%, decisions to start and stop supplemental oxygen vary widely in practice. To examine the effect of supplemental oxygen on length of stay (LOS), Scottish investigators conducted a retrospective case study of 102 randomly selected infants (mean age, 24 weeks) who were admitted to a medical ward with acute viral bronchiolitis. Infants received standardized care with continuous SpO₂ monitoring and supplemental oxygen at SpO₂ of <94% in room air and did not receive a…