| Download the amazing global Makindo app: ✅ Means NICE/National Guidelines 2026 compliant Android | Apple | |
|---|---|
| MEDICAL DISCLAIMER: Educational use only. Not for diagnosis or management. See below for full disclaimer. |
Bronchoscopy
Bronchoscopy = endoscopic procedure that allows direct visualisation of the upper airways, trachea, and proximal bronchi. Can also be used for diagnostic sampling and therapeutic interventions.
⚙️ Procedure
- 🍽️ Patients are usually fasted beforehand; check clotting profile and reverse coagulopathy if present
- 🪛 Rigid bronchoscopy: performed under general anaesthesia (useful for obstruction, foreign bodies, massive haemoptysis)
- 🧵 Flexible bronchoscopy: done under local anaesthesia + sedation; scope usually passed through the nose
- 📉 Constant monitoring (O₂ sats, HR, BP, ECG) required
- ⚠️ Recognised complications: pneumothorax, hypoxia, epistaxis
📋 Indications
- 🫁 Investigation of suspected lesion on CXR/CT
- 🔬 Endobronchial biopsy of suspicious tissue
- 💧 Bronchoalveolar lavage (BAL) – e.g. infection, malignancy, interstitial lung disease
- 💉 Investigation of haemoptysis + therapeutic control of bleeding
- 🧽 Removal of foreign bodies, mucus plugs, or obstructing material
🚫 Contraindications
- ❌ Severe/refractory hypoxaemia or inability to maintain oxygenation during procedure
- ⚠️ Relative cautions: unstable angina, uncontrolled hypercarbia, superior vena cava obstruction, unstable asthma, uraemia, pulmonary hypertension, advanced age
⚠️ Complications
- 📉 Serious complications are rare (~1 in 500,000)
- 🤕 Fever, sore throat, hoarse voice for up to 48 hrs
- ⚡ Allergic responses, bronchospasm
- 💨 Pneumothorax (may occur hours after procedure)
- 🩸 Bleeding: epistaxis, haemoptysis
- ❤️ Arrhythmias, hypoxic episodes, rarely death
📌 Exam Pearl: Flexible bronchoscopy is most commonly used for diagnosis (biopsy, lavage), while rigid bronchoscopy is reserved for therapeutic interventions (foreign body removal, massive haemoptysis).
| The content on this website is provided for educational and informational purposes only to support exam preparation (e.g., MLA, MRCP, USMLE) and learning. This is NOT medical advice, diagnosis, treatment, or professional guidance. It does not replace consultation with a qualified healthcare professional, official guidelines (e.g., NICE, GMC, BNF), or supervised clinical practice. Always verify information with current, authoritative sources. Makindo and its contributors accept no liability for any reliance on this content, including errors, omissions, or any resulting harm, loss, or consequences. By using this site, you agree to these terms. |
|
|
Categories
- A Level
- About
- Acute Medicine
- Anaesthetics and Critical Care
- Anatomy
- Anatomy and Physiology
- Biochemistry
- Book
- Cardiology
- Collections
- CompSci
- Crib Sheets
- Dental
- Dermatology
- Differentials
- Drugs
- ENT
- Education
- Electrocardiogram
- Embryology
- Emergency Medicine
- Endocrinology
- Ethics
- Foundation Doctors
- GCSE
- Gastroenterology
- General Practice
- Genetics
- Geriatric Medicine
- Guidelines
- Gynaecology
- Haematology
- Hepatology
- Immunology
- Infectious Diseases
- Infographic
- Investigations
- Lists
- MRCP
- Mandatory Training
- Medical Students
- Microbiology
- Nephrology
- Neu
- Neurology
- Neurosurgery
- Nutrition
- OSCE
- OSCEs
- Obstetrics
- Obstetrics Gynaecology
- Oncology
- Ophthalmology
- Oral Medicine and Dentistry
- Orthopaedics
- Paediatrics
- Palliative
- Pathology
- Pharmacology
- Physiology
- Procedures
- Psychiatry
- Public Health
- Radiology
- Renal
- Respiratory
- Resuscitation
- Revision
- Rheumatology
- Statistics and Research
- Stroke
- Surgery
- Toxicology
- Trauma and Orthopaedics
- USMLE
- Urology
- Vascular Surgery