[Clinical, therapeutic and developmental aspects of acute bronchiolitis in Tunisia].

Fourteen infants with severe acute bronchiolitis were admitted to the Intensive Care Unit (ICU) of Tunis. This pathology represents 36% of severe bronchopulmonary infections admitted to this ICU. Their age ranged between 2 and 48 weeks (mean: 15 weeks). Eight infants had hypotrophy. Two infants had congenital heart disease and one infant had tracheo-bronchomalacia. Viruses were found in 6/11 patients. Respiratory syncytial virus (RSV) was identified in five patients and an adenovirus in one patient. Five patients had respiratory arrest at ICU admission. Ten infants had evidence of atelectasis on chest X-ray films. Thirteen patients required mechanical ventilation. One infant had inappropriate antidiuretic hormone secretion resulting in convulsions. One infant had supraventricular tachycardia. Both had RSV infection. One patient who had congenital heart disease and RSV infection died. In the other 12 patients receiving mechanical ventilation, the mean duration of ventilation was 9 days (range: 2-30 days). The second patient who had congenital heart disease and RSV infection had severe respiratory sequelae at discharge.