Precision Medicine in Bronchiolitis: A Feasibility Study in the Pediatric Emergency Department

INTRODUCTION Bronchiolitis is the leading cause of hospitalization among infants in the United States. Despite this, treatment approaches remain variable, largely due to significant heterogeneity in disease severity and therapeutic response.1,2 Precision medicine, particularly pharmacogenomics, offers a promising opportunity to tailor therapy to the individual.3 Pharmacogenetic profiling could identify which infants are likely to benefit from bronchodilators, like albuterol, and which are not.4 However, the emergency department (ED), characterized by rapid decision-making and high patient volume, presents logistical challenges for integrating genomic data into care.5 This study aimed to evaluate the feasibility of collecting and analyzing genomic deoxyribonucleic acid (DNA) samples for pharmacogenomic testing in a pediatric ED, embedded within a randomized controlled trial assessing bronchodilator use in bronchiolitis.