What is a Bronchoscopy

A bronchoscopy is an examination of the airways performed using local anesthesia and sedation. Patients are asked not to eating anything after midnight the night before the study though they may take their usual medications with a small sip of water. Someone must drive the patient to the hospital for this study, as you will be unable to drive afterwards due to the use of sedation. Xylocaine is sprayed into the nose and mouth to numb the airway. The bronchoscope is a thin flexible tube about as big around as a pencil that contains fiber-optic bundles and lenses. It is inserted under local anesthesia through the nose and a thorough examination of the airway is then performed. Saltwater solution can be watched through the bronchoscope and removed to send to the laboratory for analysis. When indicated, biopsy forceps can be placed through the bronchoscope and small samples of lung tissue large enough to examine under a microscope can be removed. There are no pain fibers in the lung, so if a biopsy is performed, there is no pain involved. The most common complications from bronchoscopy are bleeding and a pneumothorax, or leak of air around the lung. Patients are asked to discontinue the use of aspirin compounds about a week prior to the procedure to reduce the risks of bleeding. All blood thinners are temporarily discontinued prior to bronchoscopy. A pneumothorax develops 10% to 15% of the time after a lung biopsy but is usually small and does not require treatment. Treatment is available if necessary. Prior to performing this invasive procedure, the physician carefully discusses the procedure, risks and alternatives with each patient and obtains informed consent.