Lung ultrasound for prediction of respiratory support in infants with acute bronchiolitis: A cohort study.

A total of 145 patients were included in the study, with a median age of 1.7 months [IQR: 1.2-2.8], 47.6% were female. Mean duration of symptoms prior to admission was 3.1 days (SD 1.8). Fifty-six patients (39%) required non-invasive ventilation (NIV), 14 (9.7%) were transferred to PICU, and 3 needed invasive ventilation (3/145). Identification of at least one posterior consolidation >1 cm was the main factor associated to NIV (RR 4.4; [CI95%1.8-10.8]) The LU score built according to the findings on admission showed an AUC: 0.845(CI95%:0.78-0.91). A score ≥3.5 showed a sensitivity of 89.1% (CI95%:78.2-94.9%) and specificity of 56% (CI95%: 45.3-66.1%) CONCLUSIONS: Among infants below 6 months of age admitted with AB, point-of-care LU was a helpful tool to identify patients at risk of needing respiratory support.