SHM Converge Scientific Abstract ePoster Gallery-Bronchiolitis Post-Introduction of RSV Vaccines: Shifting Patterns in Pediatric Hospitalizations

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This single-center retrospective cohort study examined children under 24 months diagnosed with bronchiolitis at Phoenix Children’s Hospital from 2018–2019 through 2024–2025, excluding the pandemic-disrupted 2020–2021 and 2021–2022 seasons. The goal was to describe recent trends in emergency department (ED) bronchiolitis presentations and hospitalization rates, including RSV-positive bronchiolitis.<br /><br />Overall, ED bronchiolitis presentations increased in the post-pandemic years, rising from about 4.0%–4.1% in earlier seasons to 5.4% in 2023–2024 and 6.2% in 2024–2025. In contrast, inpatient admissions declined substantially after peaking in 2022–2023. Total admissions fell from 36.1% in 2022–2023 to 22.9% in 2023–2024 and 18.2% in 2024–2025. Floor admissions showed the clearest decline, while ICU admission rates remained relatively stable across all seasons.<br /><br />These patterns were also seen in RSV-positive bronchiolitis and were consistent across age groups. The drop in admissions in the most recent seasons aligns temporally with the introduction of RSV immunoprophylaxis, suggesting a possible effect in vaccine-eligible subgroups. However, the authors note that increased RSV testing after COVID-19 is unlikely to fully explain the rising presentation volume and shifted timing, since the hospitalization trend and severity pattern also changed.<br /><br />The study concludes that bronchiolitis seasonality and severity have shifted away from pre-pandemic norms. Ongoing surveillance is important for health system planning, especially as newer RSV prevention agents become available and vaccine hesitancy persists. Limitations include the single-center design, possible ICD-10 coding errors, inability to assess individual vaccine uptake, and potential confounding from post-COVID testing changes and other social or viral factors.

Asset Subtitle

Carlos Gonzalez

Meta Tag

Author List Bo Borch-Christensen, Carlos Gonzalez, Jared Kusma, Nirmala P. Narla, Richard Engel

Category Research

Concept Bronchiolitis

Concept Emergency Department Presentation

Concept Hospitalization Rate

Concept Inpatient Floor Admission

Concept Intensive Care Unit Admission

Distinguished Non-Finalist

Presenter Organization Creighton University School of Medicine

Presenting Author Carlos Gonzalez

Track Pediatric

Keywords

bronchiolitis

RSV

emergency department

hospitalization

pediatric

retrospective cohort

seasonality

immunoprophylaxis

children under 24 months

Phoenix Children’s Hospital

Bronchiolitis

Emergency Department Presentation

Hospitalization Rate

Inpatient Floor Admission

Intensive Care Unit Admission