title: Bronchoscopy, indications, safety and complications.
abstract: OBJECTIVE
  To review the safety, indications, complications of flexible fiberoptic bronchoscopies performed at university teaching hospital, and to correlate the bronchoscopic findings with radiology, histology, and history of smoking.
  
  
  METHODS
  A total of 124 consecutive flexible fiberoptic bronchoscopies were reviewed in the last 3 years. A special form that contains personal data, indications, premedications, route of insertion, bronchoscopic findings, and complications in subjects-undergone bronchoscopy was completed.
  
  
  RESULTS
  A suspicion of pulmonary tuberculosis (31%), lung mass (19%) and hemoptysis (18%) were the most common indications. Hypoxemia (14%) during procedure and pneumothorax post procedure were the most common complications. Mortality rate was 0%. For 57% of subjects who had histology, lung cancer (44%), and tuberculosis (15.5%) were commonly found. Lung cancer (72%) and tuberculosis granuloma (18%) were mainly responsible for narrow segments during bronchoscopy. A radiological tumor like mass was found histopathologically to be as lung cancer in 86% and as tuberculous granuloma in 5%. About 84% of lung cancer patients were either smokers (57%) or ex-smokers (27%) as compared to only 35% in smokers and 13% in ex-smokers in patients without lung cancer, P-value<0.01.
  
  
  CONCLUSIONS
  Flexible fiberoptic bronchoscopy can be performed safely whenever indicated. Complications occurred were minor and self limiting. Appropriate preparation, and close supervision and adherence to the protocol were essential for a successful and safe procedure.
authors.affiliation: Department of Medicine, King Abdulaziz University Hospital, PO Box 6615, Jeddah 21452, Kingdom of Saudi Arabia.
authors.forename: O S
authors.initials: OS
authors.lastname: Alamoudi
authors.forename: S M
authors.initials: SM
authors.lastname: Attar
authors.forename: T M
authors.initials: TM
authors.lastname: Ghabrah
authors.forename: M A
authors.initials: MA
authors.lastname: Kassimi
mesh_terms: D001982:Bronchial Diseases / Q000175:diagnosis*; D020680:Bronchoscopes; D001999:Bronchoscopy / Q000009:adverse effects / Q000379:methods* / Q000706:statistics & numerical data; D015331:Cohort Studies; D004867:Equipment Design; D004869:Equipment Safety; D005260:Female; D005336:Fiber Optic Technology / Q000379:methods; D006785:Hospitals, University; D006801:Humans; D008171:Lung Diseases / Q000175:diagnosis*; D008297:Male; D012189:Retrospective Studies; D018570:Risk Assessment; D012529:Saudi Arabia; D012680:Sensitivity and Specificity