Bronchoscopic diagnosis of pulmonary infections in a heterogeneous, nonselected group of patients

Fiberoptic bronchoscopy with bronchoalveolar lavage and protected specimen brush technique has become an established method for etiologic diagnosis in severe forms of pulmonary infections during recent years. In this study, including 62 bronchoscopies in 53 patients, a standardized program, covering all important pulmonary pathogens, has been evaluated in a heterogeneous group of patients. Results providing therapeutic guidelines were obtained in 53 percent (16/30) of the immunocompromised patients (including 5 bronchoscopies on HIV-positive patients), but only 19 percent (6/32) of the immunocompetent patients (p < 0.001). We conclude that bronchoscopy is of great value for diagnosing pulmonary infections in immunocompromised patients. In immunocompetent patients, the diagnostic yield is lower and the indication for bronchoscopy must be established for each individual patient based on clinical importance, resources, and risk. When bronchoscopy is performed, we believe that a standardized program like ours reduces the risk of missing important pathogens.