Rationale:
A thorough medical history and physical examination provide an accurate assessment of the severity of bronchiolitis. Routine chest X-rays, repeated blood tests, and continuous pulse oximetry are unnecessary unless there is suspicion of respiratory failure or secondary bacterial infection.
Oxygen therapy should be discontinued once SpO₂ remains above 90% and the child's overall condition is stable.
References:
- Diagnosis and management of bronchiolitis. Pediatrics 2006, 118, 1774-93.
- Akenroye, A.T., Baskin, M.N., Samnaliev, M. & Stack, A.M. Impact of bronchiolitis guideline on ED resource use and cost: a segmented time-series analysis. Pediatrics 2014, 133, e227-34.
- Ralston, S.L. et al. Clinical practice guideline: the diagnosis, management, and prevention of bronchiolitis. Pediatrics 2014, 134, e1474-502.
- Ralston, S.L. et al. A Multicenter Collaborative to Reduce Unnecessary Care in Inpatient Bronchiolitis. Pediatrics 2016, 137.
- Skjerven, H.O. et al. Racemic adrenaline and inhalation strategies in acute bronchiolitis. N Engl J Med 2013, 368, 2286-93.
- Quinonez, R.A. et al. When technology creates uncertainty: pulse oximetry and overdiagnosis of hypoxaemia in bronchiolitis BMJ 2017