Bronchoscopy

There may be times when the doctor believes there is a need for a bronchoscopy. This is often suggested when patients are not responding to therapy as well as expected, are getting sick more frequently, or the doctor suspects there is unidentified bacteria in the lungs which needs treatment. During a bronchoscopy, the doctor can obtain sputum cultures from deeper sections of the lungs for testing. The doctor also has an opportunity to clear mucous plugs from the lungs during the procedure.

Is a minimally invasive procedure done under general anesthesia with a flexible bronchoscope. After obtaining consent from a parent or guardian, the patient is placed under general anesthesia by our pediatric anesthesia team. Bronchoscopy is performed through an airway provided by our anesthesia team, both lungs are examined and limited washings for cultures are performed and samples are combined and sent for testing.

Culture results from the bronchoscopy are sometimes immediately available but some cultures will grow for up to six weeks before they are finalized.