Bronchiolitis therapeutics: a study on the influence of treatment on clinical evolution in pediatric patients

Abstract

Objective: To analyze the influence of different therapeutic approaches on the clinical evolution of pediatric patients with acute bronchiolitis treated at a hospital in the state of Paraná from 2023 to 2024. Methods: This is an observational, retrospective and descriptive study, with a quantitative and qualitative approach, based on the analysis of 39 medical records of patients up to 2 years of age. Information on sex, age, length of hospital stay, respiratory effort, oxygen saturation, therapeutic interventions, and clinical outcome was collected. Statistical analysis used the chi-square test for categorical variables and the Kruskal-Wallis test to compare length of hospital stay between age groups. Results: Most patients showed progressive improvement in oxygen saturation and favorable clinical outcome, with a mean length of hospital stay of 2.97 ± 4.39 days, with no significant association between sex, age group, or need for oxygen therapy and length of hospital stay. Only one case progressed to invasive mechanical ventilation. Conclusion: The main strengths of this study include the detailed analysis of real-life medical records and the evaluation of multiple therapies. However, the limitations lie in its retrospective design and small sample size, which may limit the generalizability of the results.