WIP 155 - Post-pandemic Pediatric Asthma Admissions: Clinical Characteristics and Outcomes of Children Hospitalized with Asthma in 2022-2023: The READAPT-Kids Study Cohort
Medical Student University of British Columbia Faculty of Medicine Vancouver, British Columbia, Canada
Background: Asthma exacerbations triggered by acute respiratory infections (ARIs) are a major cause of hospitalizations in children. There were large reductions in asthma admissions during the SARS-CoV2 pandemic. Following the relaxation of public health interventions, there was a resurgence in admissions for ARIs. The effect of this rebound in ARIs on asthma management practices and outcomes is not well understood. Objective: To describe sociodemographic characteristics, clinical presentation, etiology, management, and clinical outcomes of children < 18 years, admitted at tertiary care pediatric hospitals with an acute asthma exacerbation in 2022/2023. Design/Methods: An observational cohort of children < 18 years, admitted to general pediatric inpatient or pediatric intensive care unit (PICU), with an acute asthma exacerbation, at two large Canadian children’s hospitals from July 1, 2022 to June 30, 2023. The study has IRB approval at both sites and data collection is ongoing and set to be completed by December 2023. Cases are identified using ICD-10-CA codes, and manually screened for inclusion to the READAPT-Kids study cohort (Clinical chaRacteristics and outcomEs of hospitAlized children with Acute resPiratory infecTions). Detailed clinical and demographic information of patients diagnosed with an acute asthma exacerbation are extracted, including asthma medication prior to admission, clinical management and investigations including viral pathogens, chest x-rays and antibiotic use. Outcomes evaluated include length of stay, PICU admission, need for invasive mechanical ventilation, use of high flow nasal cannula outside the PICU and death. Currently, >50% of the total cohort has been screened and entered into the electronic database. Initial analysis shows asthma admissions account for a significant proportion of children hospitalized with an acute respiratory illness and one fifth required transfer to the PICU. At least two thirds of children previously diagnosis with asthma were not on maintenance therapy at the time of admission.
