Risk factors for ICU admission in hospitalized children with respiratory syncytial virus infection.
Respiratory complications strongly predict intensive care unit admission in hospitalized children with respiratory syncytial virus.
Risk factors for ICU admission in hospitalized children with respiratory syncytial virus infection.
To analyze the clinical characteristics of hospitalized children with respiratory syncytial virus (respiratory syncytial virus) infection and identify independent risk factors for intensive care unit (intensive care unit) admission.
This retrospective study included hospitalized children with polymerase chain reaction (polymerase chain reaction)-confirmed respiratory syncytial virus infection between July 2022 and April 2025.
respiratory complications raise the odds of intensive care unit admission over fivefold
Of 95,311 children tested for acute respiratory infections, 14,583 (15.3%) were respiratory syncytial virus-positive, of whom 5,814 (39.9%) were hospitalized.
The hospitalized cohort was predominantly infants under one year of age (47.2%).
The most common manifestations were cough (91.6%), sputum production (69.3%), and fever (55.8%).
Chest computed tomography primarily revealed increased bronchial wall thickening (87.3%) and patchy shadows (67.2%).
Hospitalized children with respiratory syncytial virus infection are predominantly young infants and are prone to complex manifestations and multi-system complications.
Respiratory complications, bilateral consolidation, and prolonged fever duration are key predictors of intensive care unit admission.
This study provides important evidence for the early identification of high-risk children and the optimization of critical care resource allocation.