Increasing burden of viral bronchiolitis in the pediatric intensive care unit; an observational study

Purpose: Viral bronchiolitis is a major cause of pediatric intensive care unit (PICU) admission. Insight in the trends of bronchiolitis-associated PICU admissions is limited, but imperative for future PICU resource and capacity planning. Materials and methods: We retrospectively studied trends in PICU admissions for bronchiolitis in six European sites, including three full national registries, between 2000 and 2019 and calculated population-based estimates per 100,000 children where appropriate. Information concerning risk factors for severe disease and use of invasive mechanical ventilation was also collected when available. Results: In total, there were 15,606 PICU admissions for bronchiolitis. We observed an increase in the annual number, rate and estimates per 100,000 children of PICU admissions for bronchiolitis at all sites over the last two decades, while the proportion of patients at high risk for severe disease remained relatively stable. Conclusions: The international increased burden of bronchiolitis for the PICU is concerning, and warrants further international attention and investigation. (c) 2021 The Authors. Published by Elsevier Inc. This is an open access article under the CC BY license (http:// creativecommons.org/licenses/by/4.0/).

Automated summary

Viral bronchiolitis is a major cause of pediatric intensive care unit admissions. This study examined the trends in bronchiolitis-associated PICU admissions in six European sites between 2000 and 2019. The findings show an increasing burden of bronchiolitis on PICUs, emphasizing the need for international attention and investigation.