Abstract  Objective:  To describe the hospital medical resources used in adults hospitalized with respiratory syncytial virus infection and to evaluate the association of comorbidities with resource utilization and clinical outcomes.  Design:   A retrospective cohort study was conducted using the electronic healthcare database of Hospital Alemán, Buenos Aires, Argentina. It included hospitalized patients aged 18 years or older who had a positive test for respiratory syncytial virus between September 2010 and December 2023. Data were analyzed using standard statistical methods following STROBE guidelines.  Results:   Among 72 hospitalized adults with confirmed respiratory syncytial virus infection, the mean length of hospital stay was 12.18 days (SD 12.91), and 27 (37.5%) patients required intensive care unit admission. Healthcare resource utilization was substantial, with 26% needing non-invasive ventilation and 11% requiring mechanical ventilation. Additionally, 75% received antibiotics, and 68.05% were treated with corticosteroids. Cardiovascular comorbidities were significantly associated with severe disease outcomes and intensive care unit admission (OR 3.53, 95% CI: 1.00-12.54). Comparative analysis with 226 influenza patients showed respiratory syncytial virus patients had longer hospital stays and higher intensive care unit admission rates.  Conclusions:   Respiratory syncytial virus infection in adults resulted in substantial medical resource utilization and significant intensive care unit admission and ventilation support requirements. Cardiovascular comorbidities are associated with increased severity and intensive care unit admission admissions. Compared to influenza, respiratory syncytial virus leads to longer hospital stays and higher intensive care unit admissions, highlighting the need for tailored management strategies for respiratory syncytial virus in adult populations. Further research should focus on optimizing treatment protocols and preventive measures for respiratory syncytial virus.

The authors have declared that no competing interests exist.

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The details of the IRB/oversight body that provided approval or exemption for the research described are given below:

The research described in this study was reviewed and approved by the Institutional Review Board (IRB) and Ethics Committee (EC) of Hospital Alemán, Buenos Aires, Argentina. The approval reference number is 12674. The study involved the retrospective analysis of de-identified patient data from electronic medical records, and therefore, informed consent was not required according to institutional guidelines. All procedures complied with ethical standards and relevant regulations.

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All data generated or analyzed during this study are included in this published article/as supplementary information files. The datasets generated during and/or analyzed during the current study are available from the corresponding author on reasonable request.