In modern medicine, there are many ways to study the respiratory tract and identify their diseases. The question of what bronchoscopy is can be answered as follows: it is a procedure that makes it possible to carefully examine the lungs using a special thin hose (bronchoscope). The diagnostic device is equipped with a light and small camera that provides video recording of the organ mucosa. The bronchoscope is gently moved through the mouth or nose into the throat, trachea and airways, after which the specialist examines the gaps between the branches of the organ.
Procedure entity
There are two types of diagnostic devices: flexible and rigid type. They may vary in width.
The use of a flexible bronchoscope is more common. The tool is able to move into smaller branches in depth - bronchioles. It is used for the following procedures:
- Organization of oxygen access.
- Collection of liquid secretions and sputum.
- Supply of medicines to organs.
Anesthetized bronchoscopy is done with a rigid type machine that is used to check for wide air gaps. Scope of itapplications:
- Removal of excessive liquid and blood secretions.
- Implementing bleeding control.
- Freeing the airways from third-party particles (including in children).
Bronchoscopic examination is performed in the operating room with the introduction of anesthetics.
When is the procedure scheduled?
What is bronchoscopy and when is it indicated? The considered method is appropriate for the following cases:
- Detection of benign tumors.
- When diagnosing bronchial cancer.
- Detection of blockages in the airways (scientifically - obstruction).
- Places of narrowing of the area in the bronchopulmonary node.
- Diagnosis of inflammatory and infectious processes, including tuberculosis, interstitial diseases.
- Identification of the causes of chronic cough and bleeding.
- Confirmation or exclusion of the diagnosis by reflecting spots on chest X-ray.
Lung bronchoscopy - what is it and how is it done?
Before carrying out this procedure, you must completely free yourself from jewelry, costume jewelry, false jaw prostheses, contact lenses and the like. It is advisable to visit the toilet first. Diagnosis is carried out with a minimum amount of clothing on the patient.
When conducting a study with a flexible bronchoscope, general anesthesia is not needed. Local anesthesia by injection of the drug is quite sufficientsplashing in the mouth or nose. The patient is in a supine or semi-lying position. The specialist inserts the device, advances it further through the throat to the organ under study.
Features
What is bronchoscopy in progress? The display shows a picture of the passed area with its gradual advancement to the bronchi and lungs. If the procedure is also aimed at clearing bronchial mucus, a medicated saline solution is sprayed onto this organ at the same time.
When inserting a hard-type bronchoscope, the he alth worker starts manipulations after the patient has received general anesthesia. The whole operation takes no more than 40-50 minutes. The invasive (alien) nature of the procedure requires a certain short rehabilitation. After bronchoscopy, you need to refrain from eating, drinking, cigarettes for 2-3 hours. Also, do not drive a vehicle.
Risks and prohibitions
What is a bronchoscopy and what are its consequences? This question can be answered almost unequivocally: manipulation is not pleasant, like most medical research, but pathological complications are extremely rare.
Possible adverse effects:
- The appearance of bleeding, most often occurs during a biopsy.
- There is a low incidence of infectious disease.
- Sometimes there is difficulty in breathing.
- During the procedure, the level of oxygen in the blood may decrease.
Contraindications for bronchoscopy:
- Severe narrowing or blockage of the trachea (stenosis).
- Increased blood pressure in the pulmonary blood vessels (hypertension).
- Harring severe cough or severe gagging.
A patient with a high level of carbon dioxide in the blood may need a special breathing machine before the manipulation. This technique provides a direct supply of oxygen to the lungs.
Preparatory process
First of all, you need to consult a specialized physician about all the possible consequences, objectivity and reliability of the results of this procedure. The specialist must adequately navigate the terminology, the name of the drugs, have an understanding of the patient's history and information about the presence of allergic reactions to drugs.
Absolutely normal is the referral before diagnosis for blood donation or other tests. This practice is quite common before most diagnostic manipulations. You should stop eating 10-12 hours before your bronchoscopy.
Patient testimonials
Lung bronchoscopy - what is it? Patient reviews were polarized. Given all the nuances, it should be understood that few procedures in medicine can be called pleasant. Many see the objective merits of the study in question in the following aspects:
- The ability to study the condition of the lungs from the inside and assess their condition as accurately as possible.
- Assistance in establishing the final and correctdiagnosis.
- Short duration of the procedure without the need for general anesthesia.
According to the feedback of patients, in 80% of cases, early detection of oncological pathologies of the respiratory system occurs due to bronchoscopy in conjunction with a biopsy.
The main negative consequences include discomfort, rather unpleasant sensations, moral fear of manipulation.
Cons
Bronchoscopy, reviews of which are not uncommon in a negative way, allows you to solve many diagnostic problems that are difficult to identify without this procedure or can be determined at an advanced stage of the disease. However, complaints about the consequences of this operation include the following:
- Painful sensations in the throat, nose, chest, which can last from several hours to a week or more.
- Breathing problems during procedure.
- Unpleasant sensation of a foreign body in the body for several hours after a bronchoscopy.
Very rarely can there be really significant complications. There are isolated cases when a patient with oncological disease has bleeding after bronchoscopy. After that, hoarseness of voice, tonsillitis, and weakness persisted for several years.
Conclusion
Be that as it may, lung bronchoscopy is an effective modern technique for examining the respiratory organs, without whichit is quite difficult to make an accurate diagnosis in a timely manner and identify malignant tumors at an early stage. The procedure allows you to detect a variety of pathologies in the respiratory tract, which can save a person not only he alth, but also life.
