Minireviews
Copyright ©The Author(s) 2021. Published by Baishideng Publishing Group Inc. All rights reserved.
World J Crit Care Med. Nov 9, 2021; 10(6): 334-344
Published online Nov 9, 2021. doi: 10.5492/wjccm.v10.i6.334
Role of bronchoscopy in critically ill patients managed in intermediate care units - indications and complications: A narrative review
Vincenzo G Menditto, Federico Mei, Benedetta Fabrizzi, Martina Bonifazi
Vincenzo G Menditto, Department of Emergency Medicine, Azienda Ospedaliero-Universitaria Ospedali Riuniti di Ancona, Ancona 60126, Italy
Federico Mei, Respiratory Diseases Unit, Azienda Ospedaliero-Universitaria Ospedali Riuniti di Ancona, Ancona 60126, Italy
Benedetta Fabrizzi, Cystic Fibrosis Regional Reference Center, Azienda Ospedaliero-Universitaria Ospedali Riuniti di Ancona, Ancona 60126, Italy
Martina Bonifazi, Department of Biomedical Sciences and Public Health, Marche Polytechnic University, Ancona 60126, Italy
Author contributions: All authors wrote, read, and approved the final manuscript.
Conflict-of-interest statement: Authors certify that there is no conflict of interest related to the manuscript.
Open-Access: This article is an open-access article that was selected by an in-house editor and fully peer-reviewed by external reviewers. It is distributed in accordance with the Creative Commons Attribution NonCommercial (CC BY-NC 4.0) license, which permits others to distribute, remix, adapt, build upon this work non-commercially, and license their derivative works on different terms, provided the original work is properly cited and the use is non-commercial. See: http://creativecommons.org/Licenses/by-nc/4.0/
Corresponding author: Vincenzo G Menditto, PhD, Doctor, Medical Assistant, Postdoc, Department of Emergency Medicine, Azienda Ospedaliero-Universitaria Ospedali Riuniti di Ancona, Ancona 60126, Italy. vincenzomenditto74@yahoo.it
Received: May 15, 2021
Peer-review started: May 15, 2021
First decision: June 5, 2021
Revised: June 18, 2021
Accepted: August 18, 2021
Article in press: August 18, 2021
Published online: November 9, 2021
Processing time: 173 Days and 11.7 Hours
Core Tip

Core Tip: Less is known about the role of flexible bronchoscopy (FB) outside the intensive care unit, in particular in the intermediate care unit setting (IMCU). Here, we provide a concise review on the role of FB in IMCU settings, focusing on its indications, technical aspects and complications with a particular attention of its recent use in coronavirus disease 2019 patients. We reviewed the main diagnostic indications, such as viewing airway system/obstructions, detecting respiratory infections, and main therapeutic indications, such as secretion removal (toilet bronchoscopy) and manage hemoptysis.