Features of the course of severe acute bronchiolitis of Human Metapneumovirus еtiology in сhildren

Objective . To study the characteristics of severe acute bronchiolitis (AB) caused by hMPV (hMPV-AB). Materials and Methods: This retrospective comparative study included 27 patients aged 2 to 12 months, who were hospitalized from 2021 to 2023 in the Intensive Care Unit (ICU) of the «Kommunarka» Moscow Multidisciplinary Clinical Center. The etiology of AB was determined using polymerase chain reaction. Results . Patients with hMPV-AB had a longer stay in the ICU compared to patients with AB of another etiology (9.0 [5.0; 11.0]; 3,0 [2.0; 4.0] days, p = 0.007). Ratio SpO2/FiO2 was lower in patients with hMPV-AB (190.2 [131.0; 203.3]) compared to patients with AB of another etiology (275.0 [253.0; 340.0], p = 0.001). Rating on the Pediatric Sequential Organ Failure Assessment (pSOFA) was higher in patients with hMPV-AB (5.0 [3.45; 11.0] vs. 1.0 [0.54; 1.93], p = 0.002). One lethal outcome was recorded in the hMPV-AB group. Conclusions. hMPV-AB in children is characterized by a more severe course and requires more intensive treatment compared to AB of other etiologies.