Official American Thoracic Society technical standards: flexible airway endoscopy in children.
BACKGROUND
Flexible airway endoscopy (FAE) is an accepted and frequently performed procedure in the evaluation of children with known or suspected airway and lung parenchymal disorders. However, published technical standards on how to perform FAE in children are lacking.


METHODS
The American Thoracic Society (ATS) approved the formation of a multidisciplinary committee to delineate technical standards for performing FAE in children. The committee completed a pragmatic synthesis of the evidence and used the evidence synthesis to answer clinically relevant questions.


RESULTS
There is a paucity of randomized controlled trials in pediatric FAE. The committee developed recommendations based predominantly on the collective clinical experience of our committee members highlighting the importance of FAE-specific airway management techniques and anesthesia, establishing suggested competencies for the bronchoscopist in training, and defining areas deserving further investigation.


CONCLUSIONS
These ATS-sponsored technical standards describe the equipment, personnel, competencies, and special procedures associated with FAE in children.
Albert
A
Faro
Robert E
RE
Wood
Michael S
MS
Schechter
Albin B
AB
Leong
Eric
E
Wittkugel
Kathy
K
Abode
James F
JF
Chmiel
Cori
C
Daines
Stephanie
S
Davis
Ernst
E
Eber
Charles
C
Huddleston
Todd
T
Kilbaugh
Geoffrey
G
Kurland
Fabio
F
Midulla
David
D
Molter
Gregory S
GS
Montgomery
George
G
Retsch-Bogart
Michael J
MJ
Rutter
Gary
G
Visner
Stephen A
SA
Walczak
Thomas W
TW
Ferkol
Peter H
PH
Michelson
D000293:Adolescent; D058109:Airway Management / Q000592:standards*; D002648:Child; D002675:Child, Preschool; D002983:Clinical Competence / Q000592:standards*; D004724:Endoscopy / Q000592:standards*; D005260:Female; D005336:Fiber Optic Technology; D006801:Humans; D008297:Male; D012140:Respiratory Tract Diseases / Q000175:diagnosis*; D012955:Societies, Medical / Q000592:standards*; D014481:United States