My 8-month-old 14-pound granddaughter has been sick for a month with RSV. She is now testing negative for RSV, but has fluid in both lungs on chest x-ray as well as a small spot they say is not consistent with fluid. Her O2 sats have for the most part stayed in the low to mid 90s, but at night occasionally dip down into the mid 80s for brief periods. Other than just pneumonia, what are the possible diagnoses for this?
Hi...RSV causes acute chest infection known as bronchiolitis in small babies. Babies recovers within few days with or without the help of respiratory support. Remaining symptomatic for more than one month is uncommon for RSV pneumonia. So I will suggest you to visit your pediatrician to have a reevaluation of this persistent pneumonia and to rule out tuberculosis, congenital lung malformations and immunodeficiency and also heart disease. Oxygen saturation below 93% persistently is not normal and if it remains low for long duration(say more than a month) will eventually cause heart problem (known as pulmonary hypertension, w which is not easily curable). So visit your pediatrician without delay.