[Use of high-flow nasal cannula in infants with bronchiolitis in a pediatric emergency department]. / Utilisation des lunettes nasales à haut débit chez les nourrissons hospitalisés en service d'accueil des urgences pédiatriques pour bronchiolite : étude observationnelle.

High-flow nasal cannula oxygen therapy (HFNC) is a technique for noninvasive ventilation commonly used in pediatric intensive care units for respiratory distress, particularly in acute bronchiolitis. HFNC was introduced in the pediatric emergency department of the Reims university hospital for the treatment of infants with moderate to severe acute viral bronchiolitis. This retrospective observational study aimed to investigate the use of HFNC in a pediatric emergency ward, describing the groups of infants with acute viral bronchiolitis to be treated either with conventional oxygen therapy or with HFNC therapy. A total of 89 infants aged less than 6 months were included between December 2013 and April 2014. The choice of the type of oxygen used belonged to the pediatrician, according to his or her assessment of the clinical severity of the patient's condition, guided by a protocol of HFNC use for the treatment of moderate to severe bronchiolitis and limited by the availability of a single device in the department. Eighty-nine infants were included; 64% were boys. Fifty-seven infants (64%) had no medical history. At admission, 39 infants (46.4%) had tachypnea and 75 (84.3%) intercostal indrawing. RSV was found in 75 infants (97.4% of infants had a positive respiratory virology test). Seventy-six infants (85.4%) were treated with conventional oxygen therapy and 13 (14.6%) with HFNC. At admission, the mean weight for infants treated with HFNC was lower (P=0.03), the oxygen saturation level was 86.7% versus 93.5% (P=0.03) for conventional oxygen therapy. Moreover, modified Wood's score was higher and the mean PCO2 was 61.1 versus 49.9mmHg (P<0.01). Six infants treated with conventional oxygen therapy (7.9%) and six with HFNC (46.1%) were then transferred to an intensive care unit. HFNC therapy in the pediatric emergency ward seems to be an advantageous therapeutic option in the early treatment of infants with moderate to severe bronchiolitis, but further studies are needed to specify its indications and effectiveness.

Economic impact of healthcare-associated rotavirus infection in a paediatric hospital.

The aim of this prospective study was to determine the extra-length of stay and the average cost for rotavirus healthcare-associated infection (HAI). Children admitted to the paediatric ward of the Reims University Hospital between the 1 December 2001 and 31 March 2002, were included in a pairwise matched (1:1) case-control study. Cases were defined as patients with rotavirus HAI. Controls were selected according to matching variables in a stepwise fashion. The costs measured in this study included all expenses sustained by the hospital. Information on costs was obtained from medical records and the hospital economic department. The attack rate and the incidence of healthcare-associated acquired rotavirus infection were 6.6% and 15.8 per 1000 hospital days, respectively, during a winter outbreak. Fifteen percent of HAI were identified after discharge. The average cost per case was 1930 and the mean excess length of stay was 4.9 days. Our findings clearly demonstrate the substantial expense incurred as a result of HAI caused by rotavirus in children. To prevent these costly infections, several cost-effective measures such as standard precautions should be reinforced in the education of the healthcare workers.