What Is a Bronchoscopy?

• Bronchoscopy is a procedure that is performed by lung specialists (pulmonologists or thoracic surgeons) to diagnose or treat a variety of lung-related diseases.
• There are two types of bronchoscopes - flexible fiber optic and rigid.
• Bronchoscopy is relatively safe.
• Bronchoscopy is performed in various settings, including same-day outpatient bronchoscopy suite, operating room, hospital ward, and/or intensive care unit.

Bronchoscopy can be used for diagnosis or treatment. (The lists below are not meant to be all-inclusive, but are intended to provide a greater awareness and knowledge regarding the indications for bronchoscopy.)

Bronchoscopy is used to make a diagnosis most commonly for these conditions:

1. persistent or unexplained cough;
2. blood in the sputum (coughed up mucus material from the lungs);
3. abnormal chest x-ray such as a mass, nodule, or inflammation in the lung; or
4. evaluation of a possible lung infection.

Bronchoscopy is used for treatment:

1. to remove foreign bodies in the airway;
2. to place a stent (a tiny tube) to open a collapsed airway due to pressure by a mass or tumor; or
3. to remove a mass or growth that is blocking the airway.

Complications of bronchoscopy are relatively rare and most often minor. It is important to realize that all procedures may involve risk or complications from both known and unforeseen causes, because individual patients vary in their anatomy and response to medications. Therefore, there is no guarantee that a procedure can be free of complications.

The following is a list of some potential complications:

• Nose bleeding (epistaxis)
• Vocal cord injury
• Irregular heart beats
• Lack of oxygen to the body's tissues
• Heart injury due to medications or lack of oxygen
• Bleeding from the site of biopsy
• Punctured lung (pneumothorax)
• Damage to teeth (from rigid bronchoscopy)
• Complications from pre-medications or general anesthesia

• Usually, patients undergoing bronchoscopy should take nothing by mouth after midnight prior to the procedure.
• Routine medications should be taken with sips of water except for those drugs that can enhance the risk of bleeding. These medications are aspirin products, blood thinners such as warfarin (Coumadin), and non-steroidal anti-inflammatory products such as ibuprofen. (These drugs must be discontinued at varying numbers of days before the procedure, depending on the medication. Patients must consult their doctors for the appropriate schedule in their particular situation.)
• The doctor will also want to know of any drug allergies or major drug reactions that the patient may have experienced.

• As the patient arrives in the bronchoscopy suite (or if the patient is already in the hospital), an intravenous catheter (IV) will be started for administration of medication and fluid.
• The patient is then connected to a monitor for continuous monitoring of the heart rate, blood pressure, and oxygen level in the blood.
• If needed, supplemental oxygen will be supplied either through a 1/4-inch tube inserted into the nostrils (cannula) or a facemask.
• Medication is then given through the IV to make the patient feel relaxed and sleepy for the flexible fiberoptic bronchoscopy.
• If rigid bronchoscopy is to be performed, an anesthesiologist will be present to induce and monitor the general anesthesia.
• Patients will be lying on their back with oxygen supplemented through the mouth or the nose.
• Prior to the insertion of the flexible bronchoscope, a local anesthesia with topical lidocaine is given in the nose and to the back of the throat. The flexible bronchoscope can be introduced either through the mouth or the nose.
• Some patients may require a special tube called an endotracheal tube to be inserted through the mouth, passing the vocal cord, and into the trachea to protect and secure the airway.
• Once the bronchoscope is in the airway, an additional topical anesthetic will be sprayed into the airway for local anesthesia to minimize discomfort and coughing spells.
• The rigid bronchoscope is inserted by mouth only. This is usually done after the patient is under general anesthesia.
• Flexible bronchoscopy rarely causes any discomfort or pain. Patients may feel the urge to cough because of the sensation of a foreign object in the "windpipe." This feeling can be minimized by pre-procedural medication given for relaxation and local anesthesia with lidocaine. The procedure usually takes between 15 to 60 minutes.

If a specific area needs to be more thoroughly evaluated or an abnormality is detected during the procedure, samples can be collected by several methods listed below:

1. Washing — Squirts of salt water (saline) are injected through the bronchoscope into the area of interest and the fluid is then suctioned back. This process is repeated several times to obtain adequate samples, which are then submitted to the laboratory for analysis.
2. Brushing — A soft brush is inserted through the bronchoscope to the area of interest. Cells around the airway are collected by brushing up and down the airway. The samples are also sent to the laboratory for analysis.
3. Needle aspiration — A small needle is inserted into the airway and through the wall of the airway to obtain samples outside of the airway for analysis under a microscope.
4. Forceps biopsy — Forceps may be used to biopsy either a visible lesion in the airway or a lung lesion. Abnormal tissue that is visible in the airway is usually easily biopsied. However, a mass that is in the lung tissue is deep within the lung and usually requires a biopsy using special x-ray guidance (fluoroscopy). Specimens obtained are sent to a pathologist for inspection under a microscope.

• After the bronchoscopy procedure, patients are taken to an observation area for monitoring for one to two hours until any medication given adequately wears off and patients are able to swallow safely.
• A family member or a friend must take the patient home after the outpatient procedure.
• Patients are not allowed to drive or operate heavy machinery for the rest of the day because their reflexes and judgment may be impaired.
• Some patients may cough up dark-brown blood for the next one to two days after the procedure. This is expected and should not be alarming.
• However, if there is persistent bright red blood in the sputum, the doctor must be consulted immediately.
• A follow-up visit with the doctor is scheduled to review the laboratory results, which are typically available within one week.

• The bronchoscope is now being used with lasers to help remove and destroy tumor in the lungs.
• Sometimes, probes can be passed through the scope to freeze bleeding sites or to shrink tumors.
• Some newer technologies are on the horizon and may play a future role in the management of asthma and emphysema.
• There is data to suggest that warming the linings of the airways can reduce asthma attacks.
• Studies are also now underway investigating one-way valves placed in the upper lobe airways in patients with emphysema.
• The hope is that this investigational therapy will simulate the benefits seen in emphysema patients that receive lung volume reduction surgery.