Fig. 1.

Estimation of burden of care induced by bronchiolitis on ICUs. These should be considered illustrative estimations of the situation encountered in several high-income countries. Numbers represent the ratio between the annual cases of bronchiolitis needing ICU admission and the available beds in ICUs (paediatric, neonatal or mixed). Numbers have been obtained using local registries or personal communications from local colleagues (see acknowledgements). They represent estimations, as during the outbreaks the ICU beds might be temporarily increased by reducing elective surgical activities or changing the criteria for ICU admission of other patients, or admitting cases to neonatal ICUs that usually were not accepting infants with bronchiolitis. Abbreviation: ICU: intensive care unit.