In certain conditions, an excess of mucus secretion or other fluids such as pus or blood may accumulate in the lower airway. In such cases, bronchoscopy may be used to administer a saline wash to the affected area or to suction off the build up of fluid. Likewise, foreign objects aspirated into the airway may also be removed with the forceps at the end of the bronchoscope. Because it allows for the direct visualization of the airways, bronchoscopy is also frequently used by physicians to guide in the insertion of certain instrumentation such as nasotracheal tube. It also allows for the direct administration of drugs to a specific region of the lung.
Atelectasis is a collapse of airways or an airless region of the lung.
Usually, treatment entails a 24-hour trial of suctioning along with vigorous respiratory and physical therapy to reinflate the area of collapsed lung. If the patient is unable to withstand such procedures or if there is little improvement, a likely next step is to use bronchoscopy to reinflate the collapsed region. Although bronchoscopy is a very safe procedure with a low complication rate, there are certain risks inherent in bronchoscopic examination. The most probable outcome is that tissue and secretions are obtained successfully without complications in virtually all cases. The doctor will not allow the patient to eat or drink for several hours or until the gag reflex has returned indicating that the anesthetic has worn off.