Non Invasive Ventilation in Bronchiolitis

Acute viral bronchiolitis is one of the most common respiratory diseases in early childhood and is a major health problem worldwide. The seasonal burden of the disease, the number of hospitalizations each year and the risk of subsequent asthma bring about substantial costs in developed countries. Respiratory syncytial virus and Human Rhinovirus seem to be the most frequent etiologic agents, but other viruses such as human Metapneumovirus, Influenza virus, and Parainfluenza virus can also be involved. The spectrum of clinical outcomes is wide, but bronchiolitis is more severe when caused by Respiratory syncytial virus. In contrast, while Human Rhinovirus is involved in milder forms, it is more likely to be associated with recurrent wheezing in infancy. Acute respiratory failure from pneumonia, influenza, and respiratory syncytial virus is responsible for 4.25 million deaths world-wide and the leading cause of mortality in low and middle-income countries. In the United Kingdom up to 7% of bronchiolitis admissions require intensive care for ventilatory support. One third of unplanned infant admissions to pediatric intensive care units have respiratory failure, the majority due to bronchiolitis, require invasive mechanical ventilation for 4-7 days and a prolonged hospital stay. In countries where there is no retrieval infrastructure, the need to develop safe and effective alternatives to invasive ventilation and pediatric intensive care unit admission is acute. However, none of the interventions commonly used for infants admitted with bronchiolitis is backed by robust evidence of benefit for clinically significant outcomes, making this a pressing subject for further study. Typically, intensive respiratory support for bronchiolitis is via invasive mechanical ventilation through an artificial airway, an intervention with recognized complications in infants. There is evidence to support the use of non-invasive ventilation in pediatric acute respiratory failure of variable causes.Although evidence for use in bronchiolitis is increasing,clinical acceptance is not universal and published best practice guidelines are not easily available.