How to Diagnose RSV in Infants

Video Transcript

"Hi, I'm Dr. David Hill and today we're going to talk about diagnosing RSV in infants. Now RSV means respiratory syncytial virus. This is a very common cold virus. Adults and older kids get it too; but when we get it, all we get is a plain cold. The reason we're concern in infants is this virus is one of the common causes of a condition called bronchiolitis. Now bronchiolitis is a viral airway on this, just like other colds. But unlike other colds, it tends to affect the very smallest airways in the lungs. And when these airways get clogged up with excess mucus or fluid, it maybe very difficult for a child to breath. An infant may present with wheezing which is a high pitch noise the infant makes when breathing out. Or he or she may have actual difficulty breathing. You may see the skin pulling between the ribs when the child breathes or under the ribs. You might see him or her pushing with his belly muscles to breathe. You might see the nose flaring with every breath or your infant may make a grunting sound, a little, "Ehh, ehh, ehh", with e every breath. If you see these signs or if your infant's having a difficult time eating or sleeping because of breathing; he or she needs to be evaluated immediately by a physician. Now, in terms of identifying RSV, we used to let, put, put a lot of stock in RSV tests where we take some mucus out of the infant's nose; test it and see if RSV was present. Currently, we don't do that test so much because we treat bronchiolitis based on symptoms; not based on the presence of RSV. There are other respiratory viruses that can make babies just as sick and we treat them exactly the same as if your child has RSV. The one time we do find RSV testing important is if we're looking to control the spread of the infection. So if there's another susceptible infant in the home, we may test for RSV. If we're hospitalizing the child, we may test for RSV to know whether or not that infant can go in a room with another child who has RSV. Treating RSV is largely supportive. Some babies seem to respond to the same medicines we use for asthma; but that tends to be a minority. So we might try an asthma medicine to see if it works; if it does, we'll keep giving it. If it doesn't, there's really nothing to do. You want to make sure that the baby is able to drink and eat effectively. Often if the respiratory rate is over sixty breaths a minute, that baby is going to have a hard time staying hydrated and that baby may need to be put in the hospital. We'll also probably check your baby's oxygen level to make sure that it's adequate. If the oxygen level is under ninety percent in the bloodstream, that baby is probably going to need supplemental oxygen to be okay and that's another indication for hospitalization. So remember, if your baby is coughing excessively, wheezing or having a difficult time breathing, he or she needs to be seen immediately by a physician. RSV maybe the cause and there are things we can do to help your baby come out of it just fine. Talking about diagnosing and treating RSV in infants, I'm Dr. David Hill."