{"status":"ok","message-type":"work","message-version":"1.0.0","message":{"indexed":{"date-parts":[[2026,5,5]],"date-time":"2026-05-05T02:53:35Z","timestamp":1777949615367,"version":"3.51.4"},"reference-count":18,"publisher":"MDPI AG","issue":"5","license":[{"start":{"date-parts":[[2026,5,2]],"date-time":"2026-05-02T00:00:00Z","timestamp":1777680000000},"content-version":"vor","delay-in-days":0,"URL":"https:\/\/creativecommons.org\/licenses\/by\/4.0\/"}],"content-domain":{"domain":[],"crossmark-restriction":false},"short-container-title":["Children"],"abstract":"<jats:p>Introduction. Bronchiolitis is the leading cause of Pediatric Intensive Care Unit (PICU) admission for lower respiratory tract infection in infants. Although survival has improved, concerns remain regarding potential long-term functional impairments, including alterations in psychomotor development, learning, and behavior. This study aimed to describe the epidemiological and clinical characteristics of children admitted to the PICU for bronchiolitis and to evaluate their functional outcomes at 12-month follow-up. Methods. A retrospective descriptive cohort study was conducted, including all patients admitted to the PICU for bronchiolitis during the 2021\u20132022 period. Epidemiological, clinical, microbiological, and laboratory data were collected. Functional health status was assessed using the Pediatric Overall Performance Category (POPC), Pediatric Cerebral Performance Category (PCPC), and Functional Status Scale (FSS) at PICU discharge and 12 months. Changes in functional status were categorized as improved, stable, or worsened. Exploratory unadjusted analyses were performed to describe differences between outcome groups. Results. A total of 164 patients were included (43.9% female), with a median age of 51 days (IQR 26.25\u2013118.5). Respiratory syncytial virus was identified in 79.7% of cases. Invasive mechanical ventilation was required in 31.1% of patients, and 45.7% developed complications during PICU admission. Mortality was 0.6%. At 12 months, functional deterioration was observed in 14.6% of patients according to POPC, 16.5% according to PCPC, and 3.6% according to FSS. Higher proportions of functional deterioration were observed among patients with underlying medical conditions, those requiring invasive mechanical ventilation, those with complications, and those with longer PICU and hospital stays, particularly in the PCPC scale. Conclusions. Most children admitted to the PICU for bronchiolitis showed stable or improved functional status at 12 months. However, a subset experienced functional deterioration, more frequently observed in patients with greater clinical severity and complexity during admission. These results support the need for further studies to better characterize long-term outcomes and to identify children who may benefit from closer follow-up.<\/jats:p>","DOI":"10.3390\/children13050636","type":"journal-article","created":{"date-parts":[[2026,5,4]],"date-time":"2026-05-04T02:06:21Z","timestamp":1777860381000},"page":"636","update-policy":"https:\/\/doi.org\/10.3390\/mdpi_crossmark_policy","source":"Crossref","is-referenced-by-count":0,"title":["Long-Term Functional Outcomes After Pediatric Intensive Care Unit Admission for Bronchiolitis: A 12-Month Cohort Study"],"prefix":"10.3390","volume":"13","author":[{"given":"Paula Sevilla","family":"Hermoso","sequence":"first","affiliation":[{"name":"Pediatric Intensive Care Unit, Sant Joan de D\u00e9u Hospital, 08950 Barcelona, Spain"}],"role":[{"role":"author","vocabulary":"crossref"}]},{"ORCID":"https:\/\/orcid.org\/0000-0001-6565-5938","authenticated-orcid":false,"given":"Mireia Mor","family":"Conejo","sequence":"additional","affiliation":[{"name":"Pediatric Intensive Care Unit, Sant Joan de D\u00e9u Hospital, 08950 Barcelona, Spain"}],"role":[{"role":"author","vocabulary":"crossref"}]},{"given":"Carme","family":"Alejandre","sequence":"additional","affiliation":[{"name":"Pediatric Intensive Care Unit, Sant Joan de D\u00e9u Hospital, 08950 Barcelona, Spain"},{"name":"Institut de Recerca Sant Joan de D\u00e9u (IRSJD), University of Barcelona, 08007 Barcelona, Spain"}],"role":[{"role":"author","vocabulary":"crossref"}]},{"given":"Laia Roig","family":"Cortes","sequence":"additional","affiliation":[{"name":"Pediatric Intensive Care Unit, Sant Joan de D\u00e9u Hospital, 08950 Barcelona, Spain"}],"role":[{"role":"author","vocabulary":"crossref"}]},{"given":"Omar","family":"Rodriguez","sequence":"additional","affiliation":[{"name":"Pediatric Intensive Care Unit, Sant Joan de D\u00e9u Hospital, 08950 Barcelona, Spain"}],"role":[{"role":"author","vocabulary":"crossref"}]},{"given":"Francisco Jos\u00e9 Cambra","family":"Lasaosa","sequence":"additional","affiliation":[{"name":"Pediatric Intensive Care Unit, Sant Joan de D\u00e9u Hospital, 08950 Barcelona, Spain"},{"name":"Institut de Recerca Sant Joan de D\u00e9u (IRSJD), University of Barcelona, 08007 Barcelona, Spain"}],"role":[{"role":"author","vocabulary":"crossref"}]},{"given":"Iolanda","family":"Jordan","sequence":"additional","affiliation":[{"name":"Pediatric Intensive Care Unit, Sant Joan de D\u00e9u Hospital, 08950 Barcelona, Spain"},{"name":"Institut de Recerca Sant Joan de D\u00e9u (IRSJD), University of Barcelona, 08007 Barcelona, Spain"},{"name":"Faculty of Medicine, University of Barcelona, 08036 Barcelona, Spain"}],"role":[{"role":"author","vocabulary":"crossref"}]},{"ORCID":"https:\/\/orcid.org\/0000-0003-2686-116X","authenticated-orcid":false,"given":"M\u00f2nica","family":"Balaguer","sequence":"additional","affiliation":[{"name":"Pediatric Intensive Care Unit, Sant Joan de D\u00e9u Hospital, 08950 Barcelona, Spain"},{"name":"Institut de Recerca Sant Joan de D\u00e9u (IRSJD), University of Barcelona, 08007 Barcelona, Spain"},{"name":"Faculty of Medicine, University of Vic-Central University of Catalonia (UVic-UCC), 08500 Vic, Spain"}],"role":[{"role":"author","vocabulary":"crossref"}]}],"member":"1968","published-online":{"date-parts":[[2026,5,2]]},"reference":[{"key":"ref_1","doi-asserted-by":"crossref","first-page":"e1196","DOI":"10.1016\/S2214-109X(18)30386-3","article-title":"High-quality health systems in the Sustainable Development Goals era: Time for a revolution","volume":"6","author":"Kruk","year":"2018","journal-title":"Lancet Glob. Health"},{"key":"ref_2","doi-asserted-by":"crossref","first-page":"1235","DOI":"10.1007\/s00134-015-3780-7","article-title":"Health-related quality of life following pediatric critical illness","volume":"41","author":"Aspesberro","year":"2015","journal-title":"Intensive Care Med."},{"key":"ref_3","first-page":"381","article-title":"Functional progression of patients with neurological diseases in a tertiary paediatric intensive care unit: Our experience","volume":"35","year":"2020","journal-title":"Neurologia"},{"key":"ref_4","first-page":"311","article-title":"Functional assessment of a series of paediatric patients receiving neurointensive treatment: New Functional status scale","volume":"35","year":"2020","journal-title":"Neurologia"},{"key":"ref_5","doi-asserted-by":"crossref","first-page":"671","DOI":"10.1001\/jamapediatrics.2013.5316","article-title":"Relationship between the functional status scale and the pediatric overall performance category and pediatric cerebral performance category scales","volume":"168","author":"Pollack","year":"2014","journal-title":"JAMA Pediatr."},{"key":"ref_6","doi-asserted-by":"crossref","first-page":"1173","DOI":"10.1097\/00003246-200004000-00043","article-title":"Relationship of illness severity and length of stay to functional outcomes in the pediatric intensive care unit: A multi-institutional study","volume":"28","author":"Fiser","year":"2000","journal-title":"Crit. Care Med."},{"key":"ref_7","doi-asserted-by":"crossref","first-page":"e1474-502","DOI":"10.1542\/peds.2014-2742","article-title":"Clinical practice guideline: The diagnosis, management, and prevention of bronchiolitis","volume":"134","author":"Ralston","year":"2014","journal-title":"Pediatrics"},{"key":"ref_8","doi-asserted-by":"crossref","first-page":"289","DOI":"10.1016\/j.medin.2019.10.006","article-title":"Impact of a modification of the clinical practice guide of the American Academy of Pediatrics in the management of severe acute bronchiolitis in a pediatric intensive care unit. Impacto de una modificaci\u00f3n de la gu\u00eda de pr\u00e1ctica cl\u00ednica de la Academia Americana de Pediatr\u00eda en el manejo de la bronquiolitis aguda grave en una unidad de cuidados intensivos pedi\u00e1tricos","volume":"45","author":"Guitart","year":"2021","journal-title":"Med. Intensiv."},{"key":"ref_9","doi-asserted-by":"crossref","first-page":"3","DOI":"10.1542\/peds.2012-0444","article-title":"Prospective multicenter study of children with bronchiolitis requiring mechanical ventilation","volume":"130","author":"Mansbach","year":"2012","journal-title":"Pediatrics"},{"key":"ref_10","doi-asserted-by":"crossref","unstructured":"Kenmoe, S., Kengne-Nde, C., Ebogo-Belobo, J.T., Mbaga, D.S., Fatawou Modiyinji, A., and Njouom, R. (2020). Systematic review and meta-analysis of the prevalence of common respiratory viruses in children < 2 years with bronchiolitis in the pre-COVID-19 pandemic era. PLoS ONE, 15.","DOI":"10.1371\/journal.pone.0242302"},{"key":"ref_11","first-page":"913","article-title":"Characteristics of children admitted to intensive care with acute bronchiolitis","volume":"177","author":"Ghazaly","year":"2018","journal-title":"Care"},{"key":"ref_12","doi-asserted-by":"crossref","first-page":"77","DOI":"10.1016\/j.acap.2014.06.008","article-title":"Risk factors for requiring intensive care among children admitted to ward with bronchiolitis","volume":"15","author":"Hasegawa","year":"2015","journal-title":"Acad. Pediatr."},{"key":"ref_13","doi-asserted-by":"crossref","first-page":"e129","DOI":"10.1097\/PCC.0000000000003405","article-title":"Cognitive, Functional, and Quality of Life Outcomes 6 Months After Mechanical Ventilation for Bronchiolitis: A Secondary Analysis of Data From the Randomized Evaluation of Sedation Titration for Respiratory Failure Trial (RESTORE)","volume":"25","author":"Fischer","year":"2024","journal-title":"Pediatr. Crit. Care Med."},{"key":"ref_14","first-page":"282","article-title":"Long-Term Neurodevelopmental and Functional Outcomes of Normally Developing Children Requiring PICU Care for Bronchiolitis","volume":"10","author":"Shein","year":"2020","journal-title":"J. Pediatr. Intensive Care"},{"key":"ref_15","doi-asserted-by":"crossref","first-page":"353","DOI":"10.1542\/hpeds.2021-006166","article-title":"Acute Neuro-Functional Morbidity Upon Discharge From the Pediatric Intensive Care Unit After Critical Bronchiolitis","volume":"12","author":"Saju","year":"2022","journal-title":"Hosp. Pediatr."},{"key":"ref_16","doi-asserted-by":"crossref","first-page":"1106","DOI":"10.1097\/PCC.0000000000001337","article-title":"Neurologic and Functional Morbidity in Critically Ill Children with Bronchiolitis","volume":"18","author":"Shein","year":"2017","journal-title":"Pediatr. Crit. Care Med."},{"key":"ref_17","doi-asserted-by":"crossref","first-page":"834","DOI":"10.1111\/apa.13396","article-title":"The severity of acute bronchiolitis in infants was associated with quality of life nine months later","volume":"105","author":"Rolfsjord","year":"2016","journal-title":"Acta Paediatr."},{"key":"ref_18","first-page":"403","article-title":"Health-related quality of life 6 months after pediatric intensive care unit admission for bronchiolitis: A prospective single-center cohort study","volume":"182","year":"2023","journal-title":"Eur. J. Pediatr."}],"container-title":["Children"],"original-title":[],"language":"en","link":[{"URL":"https:\/\/www.mdpi.com\/2227-9067\/13\/5\/636\/pdf","content-type":"unspecified","content-version":"vor","intended-application":"similarity-checking"}],"deposited":{"date-parts":[[2026,5,4]],"date-time":"2026-05-04T02:38:22Z","timestamp":1777862302000},"score":1,"resource":{"primary":{"URL":"https:\/\/www.mdpi.com\/2227-9067\/13\/5\/636"}},"subtitle":[],"short-title":[],"issued":{"date-parts":[[2026,5,2]]},"references-count":18,"journal-issue":{"issue":"5","published-online":{"date-parts":[[2026,5]]}},"alternative-id":["children13050636"],"URL":"https:\/\/doi.org\/10.3390\/children13050636","relation":{},"ISSN":["2227-9067"],"issn-type":[{"value":"2227-9067","type":"electronic"}],"subject":[],"published":{"date-parts":[[2026,5,2]]}}}