Respiratory syncytial virus (RSV) is a very common virus that can cause mild cold-like symptoms in adults and older healthy children. This virus causes serious respiratory problems in infants, especially those infants which are born prematurely, who have diseases of the heart or lung, or those who are immunocompromised. The virus can live for a half an hour or more on hands and live for up to five hours on countertops or for several hours on used tissues. An RSV infection begins with the replication of the virus in the nasopharynx. The virus then spreads to bronchiolar epithelium lining within the small airways within the lungs, which can cause a lower respiratory tract infection to begin in one to three days. If a lower respiratory tract
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Infants less than the age of 1 may have more severe and complex symptoms and often have the most trouble breathing. Their symptoms include bluish skin color due to a lack of oxygen (cyanosis), breathing difficulty/labored breathing, nasal flaring, rapid breathing (tachypnea), shortness of breath, and/or wheezing (Caswell, 2011). RSV is highly contagious and can be spread through droplets containing the virus when someone coughs or sneezes (Caswell, 2011). RSV can spread rapidly through schools and childcare centers (Caswell, 2011). Almost all kids are infected with RSV at least once by the time they're 2 years old (RSV, 2015). Frequent hand washing is key in preventing its transmission (Caswell, 2011). Treatment options in pediatric patient include oxygen, humidified air, and fluids through IV. In extremely severe cases, a ventilator might be necessary. Most children diagnosed with an RSV infection recover without incident and do not have further wheezing episodes (Caswell, 2011). However, due to the damage to the lungs done by RSV, up to 40 percent of children with bronchiolitis will develop further wheezing episodes through five years of age, and 10 percent will have wheezing episodes beyond 5 years (Caswell, …show more content…
Multiple treatment regimens have been tested, including bronchodilators, corticosteroids, antiviral agents, nasal suctioning, and decongestants (Caswell, 2011). However, none of these treatments have had any significant impact on any of the symptoms or the course of the illness. The main management strategies for treatment are maintenance of hydration and oxygenation. Children diagnosed with bronchiolitis can become severely dehydrated secondary to their increased respiratory rate, fever, and poor feeding caused by an increased difficulty in breathing and mass nasal secretions. Intravenous fluids may be needed in infants with severe respiratory difficulty, a respiratory rate greater than 80 breaths per minute, or those who visibly fatigue during feeding (Caswell, 2011). Continuous pulse oximetry monitoring is not normally necessary and should be held in reserve for children whom have previously required oxygen continuously, had been diagnosed with apnea, or have an underlying cardiopulmonary condition. Children with a precise respiratory rate of at least 60 breaths per minute should be admitted to the hospital (Caswell, 2011). Corticosteroids should not be used routinely to treat bronchiolitis due to the side effects outweighing the benefits (Caswell, 2011). They do not shorten the course of the disease or help decrease the severity of symptoms (Caswell, 2011). They can, however, be very helpful in
Infants less than the age of 1 may have more severe and complex symptoms and often have the most trouble breathing. Their symptoms include bluish skin color due to a lack of oxygen (cyanosis), breathing difficulty/labored breathing, nasal flaring, rapid breathing (tachypnea), shortness of breath, and/or wheezing (Caswell, 2011). RSV is highly contagious and can be spread through droplets containing the virus when someone coughs or sneezes (Caswell, 2011). RSV can spread rapidly through schools and childcare centers (Caswell, 2011). Almost all kids are infected with RSV at least once by the time they're 2 years old (RSV, 2015). Frequent hand washing is key in preventing its transmission (Caswell, 2011). Treatment options in pediatric patient include oxygen, humidified air, and fluids through IV. In extremely severe cases, a ventilator might be necessary. Most children diagnosed with an RSV infection recover without incident and do not have further wheezing episodes (Caswell, 2011). However, due to the damage to the lungs done by RSV, up to 40 percent of children with bronchiolitis will develop further wheezing episodes through five years of age, and 10 percent will have wheezing episodes beyond 5 years (Caswell, …show more content…
Multiple treatment regimens have been tested, including bronchodilators, corticosteroids, antiviral agents, nasal suctioning, and decongestants (Caswell, 2011). However, none of these treatments have had any significant impact on any of the symptoms or the course of the illness. The main management strategies for treatment are maintenance of hydration and oxygenation. Children diagnosed with bronchiolitis can become severely dehydrated secondary to their increased respiratory rate, fever, and poor feeding caused by an increased difficulty in breathing and mass nasal secretions. Intravenous fluids may be needed in infants with severe respiratory difficulty, a respiratory rate greater than 80 breaths per minute, or those who visibly fatigue during feeding (Caswell, 2011). Continuous pulse oximetry monitoring is not normally necessary and should be held in reserve for children whom have previously required oxygen continuously, had been diagnosed with apnea, or have an underlying cardiopulmonary condition. Children with a precise respiratory rate of at least 60 breaths per minute should be admitted to the hospital (Caswell, 2011). Corticosteroids should not be used routinely to treat bronchiolitis due to the side effects outweighing the benefits (Caswell, 2011). They do not shorten the course of the disease or help decrease the severity of symptoms (Caswell, 2011). They can, however, be very helpful in