CONCLUSION

The coronavirus disease (COVID-19) may have limited the sample size since one of the PICU became a reference in pediatric treatment for this disease simultaneously to the focus of bronchiolitis, and the number of beds was allocated and reduced for other respiratory diseases. Also, social distancing reduced the exposure to etiological agents of bronchiolitis since the children did not go to schools or daycare centers, and some parents performed home office, reducing the cases between 2020 and 2021.
In conclusion, RSV was the main causative agent of bronchiolitis. Prematurity, male gender, low weight, age below six months, and congenital heart disease were associated with severe bronchiolitis that tended to progress with ARF and especially SARS. IMV was beneficial for children with severe bronchiolitis since it reduced mortality and improved clinical condition. However, bronchiolitis is still challenging, requiring protocols and multidisciplinary teamwork to minimize the morbidity caused by this disease and IMV. Thus, further studies need to address this issue to help health professionals classify the severity of bronchiolitis.