The clinical management of preterm infants with bronchiolitis.

Objectives: The goal of this study was to determine physician management choices for hospitalized premature infants with bronchiolitis compared with erm infants and to evaluate predictors of steroid use in premature infants.

Methods: A chart review was conducted of premature and nonpremature infants admitted to 2 children's hospitals with bronchiolitis. Reviewers selected charts based on International Classification of Diseases, Ninth Revision diagnosis codes and collected demographic and historical information, as well as evaluation, treatment, treatment effectiveness, length of stay, hospital readmission rates, and adverse outcomes.

Assessing the impact of national guidelines on the management of children hospitalized for acute bronchiolitis.

Background: Acute bronchiolitis is a common illness accounting for $500 million annually in hospitalizations. Despite the frequency of bronchiolitis, its diagnosis and management is variable. To address this variability, the American Academy of Pediatrics (AAP) published an evidence-based practice management guideline for bronchiolitis in 2006.