Hemorrhage Risk of Patients Receiving Bronchoscope Examination or Treatment

Abstract Background: The type of procedures has changed and become more complex and sophisticated with the development and extensive use of bronchoscopy. This study aimed to evaluate the safety, particularly the hemorrhage risk, of patients receiving bronchoscope examination or treatment.Methods: The general information and bronchoscope procedures of patients who underwent bronchoscope examination or treatment in the respiration department were collected and analyzed.Results: The incidence of complications and the mortality in bronchoscopy were 0.85% and 0.01%, respectively. The complication rate of different types of bronchoscope procedure varies significantly, and that of therapeutic bronchoscopies was higher than that of explorative examinations and biopsies. Moreover, the most common complication was severe bleeding. Bleeding rate was higher in the left upper lobe and bronchus intermedius, and a trend was observed in which the proportion of bleeding cases decreased as the number of biopsies increased.Conclusions: Although bronchoscope procedure has become more complex and sophisticated, bronchoscopy is well tolerated. However, precautions should be taken because the risks of hemorrhage and pneumothorax were high and fatal.