Acute Bronchiolitis: Assessment and Management in Urgent Care (Infectious Disease CME)

Points & Pearls Excerpt

• Bronchiolitis is the most common lower respiratory tract infection in infants and young children aged <2 years.
• Respiratory syncytial virus (RSV) and human metapneumovirus (HMPV) cause the majority of cases.
• Bronchiolitis is a clinical diagnosis, defined by the American Academy of Pediatrics (AAP) as “rhinitis, tachypnea, wheezing, cough, crackles, use of accessory muscles, and/or nasal flaring in infants.”
• There can be a variable degree of edema and narrowing of the small airways, with mucous plugging, atelectasis, air trapping, and hypoxemia. Changes in these factors account for the variable clinical presentation of bronchiolitis and the rapid changes in severity of illness.