Abstract
Background: Acute lower respiratory infections (ALRI) affect between 120 million and 156 million people worldwide. Patients who have been diagnosed with bronchiolitis frequently have chest X-rays (CXR). However, local guidelines advocate not using CXR regularly. Aim: To assess the relationship between radiologic findings and clinical outcomes in pediatric patients with bronchiolitis and the usefulness of CXR findings as prognostic factors in acute bronchiolitis. Methodology: We conducted a retrospective cohort study in the Department of Pediatrics at King Abdulaziz University Hospital (KAUH), Jeddah, Saudi Arabia during 2021-2022. The study included pediatric patients <2 years old, admitted due to acute bronchiolitis, who underwent CXR. Results: Interstitial infiltration was the most common abnormal radiologic finding (n=132; 62.9%). Atelectasis was significantly associated with longer hospital stays (p=0.018), and hyperinflation was observed to be an independent predictor of intensive care unit (ICU) admission (p=0.048). Conclusion: In addition to respiratory distress, patients with atelectasis should be considered high risk patients requiring more aggressive treatment to shorten their hospital length of stay and reduce the risk of ICU admission and ventilator use.