OBJECTIVES: Respiratory syncytial virus (RSV) infection poses a substantial healthcare and economic burden, yet data on RSV medical resource utilization in adults, especially in Argentina, are limited. This study aims to investigate the utilization of hospital medical resources among adults hospitalized with RSV infection.

METHODS: We conducted a retrospective observational cohort study using Hospital Alemán's electronic healthcare database to identify adults hospitalized between September 2010 and December 2023 with a positive RSV test. RSV diagnosis was confirmed using Respiratory Film Array or respiratory panel antigen tests. An automated process extracted data from hospital databases and included the information of each patient throughout their hospitalization. We analyzed resource utilization in the RSV-positive patients and among hospitalized patients with a positive test for influenza.

RESULTS: Among 2,968 tested patients, 72 hospitalized adults tested positive for RSV. Patients were primarily female (56.12%) with a median age of 60.88 years and a median hospitalization duration of 8 days (interquartile range [IQR] 4-13). Intensive care unit (ICU) admission occurred in 37.50% of cases, with 26.38% requiring non-invasive ventilation (NIV) and 11.11% requiring mechanical ventilation (MV). Severe disease, defined as the composite of NIV + ICU, was observed in 43.10% of the cohort. The median hospitalization duration in the influenza patient group was 6 days (IQR 3-11), with 28.32% of cases requiring ICU admission, 22.12% needing NIV, and 13.72% requiring MV.

CONCLUSIONS: RSV infection in adults who require hospitalization results in substantial medical resource utilization, with significant requirements for ICU and ventilation support. Compared to influenza, RSV patients had longer hospital stays and higher ICU admissions. These results could influence the management strategies for RSV in adults and the allocation of resources in the healthcare system.