Objective: To determine if 3 objective criteria - pulse oximetry, respiratory syncytial virus (RSV) testing, and age - could be used to predict which children hospitalized with bronchiolitis will have brief (<36 hour) hospitalizations and therefore be potential candidates for admission to short-stay observation units.
Methods: This was a retrospective medical record review of medically uncomplicated children 3 to 24 months of age with emergency department and hospital discharge diagnoses consistent with bronchiolitis who were admitted to a general pediatric ward in our university-based, tertiary care hospital between Jan. 1, 1992, and Nov. 12, 2002. Multiple logistic regression was used to assess the predictor variables.
Results: Our study consisted of 225 patients (45% female) with a median age of 7 months (interquartile range [IQR], 4-11 mo; range, 3-22 mo). Median pulse oximetry value was 94% (IQR 91%-96%; range 76%-100%), and 71% of the patients tested positive for RSV. Thirty children (13%) had brief hospitalizations <36 hours, and the median hospital length of stay for the entire study group was 70 hours (IQR 46-108 h; range 6-428 h). None of the 3 predictor variables were independently associated with brief hospitalization.
Conclusions: Pulse oximetry, RSV testing and age do not predict which children will have brief hospitalizations and are appropriate candidates for admission to short-stay observation units.