Bronchoscopy

Injury	Disease	Nutrition	Poison

Symptoms	Surgery	Test	Special Topic

Bronchoscopy

Overview

Risks

Results

Bronchoscopy

Alternative Names:

Fiberoptic bronchoscopy

What the risks are:

The main risks from bronchoscopy are:

Infection
Bleeding from biopsy sites

There is also a small risk of:

Arrhythmias
Heart attack
Low blood oxygen
Pneumothorax

In the rare instances when general anesthesia is used, there is some risk for:

Nausea
Vomiting
Sore throat
Muscle pain
Breathing difficulties
Depressed heart rate
Change in blood pressure

There is a small risk for:

Heart attack
Kidney damage

When a biopsy is taken, there is a risk of hemorrhage. Some bleeding is common. The technician or nurse will monitor the amount of bleeding.

There is a significant risk of choking if anything (including water) is swallowed before the anesthetic wears off.

Special considerations:

After the procedure, your gag reflex will return. However, until it does, do not eat or drink anything. To test if the gag reflex has returned, place a spoon on the back of your tongue for a few seconds with light pressure. If there is no gagging, wait 15 minutes and attempt it again. Make sure that no small or sharp objects are used to test this reflex.

References:

Murray J, Nadel J. Textbook of Respiratory Medicine. 3rd ed. Philadelphia, Pa: WB Saunders; 2000: 639-641.

Cummings CW, Flint PW, Haughey BH, et al. Otolaryngology: Head & Neck Surgery. 4th ed. St Louis, Mo; Mosby; 2005:2474.

Review Date: 3/2/2006
Reviewed By: David A. Kaufman, M.D., Assistant Professor, Division of Pulmonary, Critical Care & Sleep Medicine, Mount Sinai School of Medicine, New York, NY. Review provided by VeriMed Healthcare Network.

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