# The Effectiveness of Respiratory Syncytial Virus Prophylaxis Programme using Palivizumab in Preterm Infants: A single institute retrospective study

## TL;DR

This study evaluated how well a program using Palivizumab to prevent RSV in preterm infants worked, finding it effective with low hospitalization rates.

## Contribution

This is the first evaluation of RSV immunoprophylaxis in Oman among high-risk preterm infants.

## Key findings

- Only 1.8% of preterm infants receiving Palivizumab experienced RSV-related hospitalizations.
- Infants born before 28 weeks and those with bronchopulmonary dysplasia were at higher risk for RSV hospitalization.
- The study supports the effectiveness of RSV prophylaxis in reducing hospitalizations among high-risk preterm infants.

## Abstract

This study aimed to evaluate the effectiveness of an established respiratory syncytial virus (RSV) prophylaxis programme by assessing RSV-related hospitalisations (RSVH) and identify associated risk factors among preterm infants born at <32 weeks' gestation.

This retrospective cohort study was conducted at Sultan Qaboos University Hospital, Muscat, Oman. Eligible participants were preterm infants <32 weeks' gestation, born between January 2015 and December 2020, who received RSV prophylaxis. Data were extracted from electronic medical records and analysed.

A total of 282 infants were included. The mean gestational age was 28.56 ± 2.03 weeks and the mean birth weight was 1.23 ± 0.35 kg. A total of 5 infants (1.8%) experienced RSV-related hospitalisation while receiving palivizumab prophylaxis. Infants with RSVH were significantly more likely to be born at <28 weeks' gestation than those who had not had a RSVH (60% versus 26.7%; P = 0.033). The rate of bronchopulmonary dysplasia was significantly higher in RSVH infants compared to those without RSVH (60% versus 14.1%; P = 0.026).

The RSV prophylaxis programme demonstrated effectiveness, with a low RSVH rate among high-risk preterm infants. Extreme prematurity and bronchopulmonary dysplasia are the most significant risk factors for RSVH. Despite being a single-centre retrospective study, this is the first evaluation of RSV immunoprophylaxis in Oman and supports the case for a nationwide programme targeting high-risk infants.