Clinical Data
All clinical data and routine medical investigations during hospitalisation were recorded on standardised data collection forms3,23,24. Data for bronchiectasis was based on chest HRCT diagnosis and obtained from a previous study7. In this analysis, the most commonly detected co-morbidities were reported and combined as a single variable where appropriate (e.g. any otitis media or any skin infection). Length of stay (LOS) was defined in the original studies as duration from time from admission to “ready for discharge” (oxygen saturation >94% in air for >16-hours) and feeding adequately19,20. Accessory muscle use was taken from our modified Tal score21 and weight-for-length z-score defined using WHO criteria (detailed in E-text).