Bronchiolitis

Clinical Pathways promote evidence based, safe, and high-value care for patients by providing clinical recommendations and standard processes. They are developed by multidisciplinary committees of subject matter experts, informed by methodical review of available evidence and consensus among committee members.

Clinical Pathways:

• Bronchiolitis- Urgent Care & Emergency Department Algorithm
• Bronchiolitis – Inpatient Algorithm
• Bronchiolitis Synopsis (provides care standards employed for this clinical pathway)

Additional tools associated with this Clinical Pathway:

• Bronchiolitis Education for Outpatients (Spanish version)
• Bronchiolitis Education for Inpatients (Spanish version)
• How to use a manual nasal aspirator (Spanish version)

Inclusion and exclusion criteria:

• Inclusion:
  • Infants up to 24 months of age presenting with bronchiolitis
• Exclusion:
  • Infants less than 60 days of age with fever (see Febrile Infant Clinical Practical Guideline)
  • Patients with alternative diagnoses, such as:
    • Sepsis
    • Asthma
    • Pneumonia
    • Congestive heart failure
    • Pertussis
    • Chronic lung obstruction
    • Airway obstruction (croup, foreign body aspiration, etc.)

Committee members involved in the development:

• Amanda Nedved, MD | Urgent Care | Committee Chair
• Paul Bauer, MD | Critical Care Medicine | Committee Member
• Erin Scott, DO | Emergency Department | Committee Member
• Matthew Johnson, MD | Hospital Medicine | Committee Member
• Jonathan Hartley, DO | Hospital Medicine | Committee Member
• Megan Collins, MD, MPH | Hospital Medicine | Committee Member
• Jeremy Beyer, MD | Pediatric Resident | Committee Member
• Shautonja Woods, BHS, RRT | Respiratory Care | Committee Member
• Ginny Nyberg, MSN, RN | Clinical Practice and Quality | Committee Member
• Christine Claeys, RN, BSN, CCRN-K | Clinical Practice and Quality| Committee Member
• Kathleen Berg, MD, FAAP | Hospitalist, Evidence Based Practice
• Megan Gripka, MT (ASCP) SM | Evidence Based Practice
• Kelli Ott, OTD, OTR/L | Evidence Based Practice

Publication dates:

• Finalized date: 07/2023
• Next expected revision date: 07/2026

If you have any questions regarding this content or identify a broken link, please email evidencebasedpractice@cmh.edu. 

These pathways do not establish a standard of care to be followed in every case. It is recognized that each case is different, and those individuals involved in providing health care are expected to use their judgment in determining what is in the best interests of the patient based on the circumstances existing at the time. It is impossible to anticipate all possible situations that may exist and to prepare a pathway for each. Accordingly, these pathways should guide care with the understanding that departures from them may be required at times.