Differences and similarities in severe bronchiolitis and status asthmaticus

Abstract

Bronchiolitis and status asthmaticus are common diagnoses encountered in the pediatric intensive care unit setting with overlapping clinical manifestations that can create perplexity in treatment following hospital admission. While there are clear first-line therapies for each of these medical conditions, the use of adjunct therapies has been inconsistent and more dependent on provider preference at times. In this review, a brief introduction to the epidemiology, clinical presentation, and diagnosis allows for a review of proposed therapies to highlight the distinctions between these two entities.