The use of bronchoscopy in critically ill patients: considerations and complications

ABSTRACT

Introduction: Flexible bronchoscopy has been well established for diagnostic and therapeutic purposes in critically ill patients.

Areas covered: This review outlines the clinical evidence of the utility and safety of flexible bronchoscopy in the intensive care unit, as well as specific considerations, including practical points and potential complications, in critically ill patients.

Expert commentary: Its ease to learn and perform and its capacity for bedside application with relatively few complications make flexible bronchoscopy an indispensable tool in the intensive care unit setting. The main indications for flexible bronchoscopy in the intensive care unit are the visualization of the airways, sampling for diagnostic purposes and management of the artificial airways. The decision to perform flexible bronchoscopy can only be made by trade-offs between potential risks and benefits because of the fragile nature of the critically ill. Flexible bronchoscopy-associated serious adverse events are inevitable in cases of a lack of expertise or appropriate precautions.

KEYWORDS:

• Flexible bronchoscopy
• critically ill
• intensive care unit
• complication
• indication

Declaration of interest

The authors have no relevant affiliations or financial involvement with any organization or entity with a financial interest in or financial conflict with the subject matter or materials discussed in the manuscript. This includes employment, consultancies, honoraria, stock ownership or options, expert testimony, grants or patents received or pending, or royalties.

Reviewer disclosures

Peer reviewers on this manuscript have no relevant financial or other relationships to disclose.

Additional information

Funding

This paper was not funded.