Resumen

URIARTE MENDEZ, Ariel et al. Acute Bronchiolitis. Which Patients Should Be Admitted to Intensive Care Units?. Medisur [online]. 2014, vol.12, n.6, pp.835-842. ISSN 1727-897X.

Bronchiolitis is the most common viral infection of the lower respiratory tract in childhood; it is considered the most severe respiratory condition that affects children under 2 years of age. In general, mortality from bronchiolitis is low, but it can reach up to 30% in patients at risk. Twenty children have died from this condition in the pediatric hospital of Cienfuegos in the last 30 years. Bronchiolitis-related deaths account for approximately 4 % of all deaths from 2010 to date. This fact has led to the implementation of administrative measures to reduce deaths from this cause, which have not solved the problem. The aim of this paper is to present a set of criteria for admission of bronchiolitis patients to intensive care units in order to be considered by the administrators of the institution. These criteria based on the authors’ experience and scientific evidence reflected in the literature focus on preventing overcrowding of this service with patients not showing signs of serious condition, and on the contrary, timely identifying those likely to have an unfavourable outcome.

Palabras clave : bronchiolitis; diagnosis; prognosis; intensive care.

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