Indications and Efficacy of Fiberoptic Bronchoscopy in the ICU: Have They Changed Since Its Introduction in Clinical Practice?

Table 2

Characteristics of 102 bronchoscopies performed in 84 patients of the RICU.

	No. (%)
Indications for FOB
Pneumonia	31 (30)
Percutaneous tracheostomy guidance	26 (25)
Atelectasis	25 (25)
Airway exploration	16 (16)
Hemoptysis	2 (2)
Difficult airway intubation	2 (2)
Number of FOBs performed per patient
One	70 (83)
Two	11 (13)
Three	2 (2.4)
Four	1 (1.2)
Type of ventilatory assistance during FOB
Invasive mechanical ventilation	83 (81)
No assistance	18 (18)
Noninvasive mechanical ventilation	1 (1)
Route for FOB
Orotracheal tube	73 (71)
Nose	15 (15)
Tracheostomy cannula	11 (11)
Mouth	3 (3)
Operator
Intensivist	97 (95)
Thoracic endoscopy fellow	3 (3)
Pulmonologist	2 (2)

RICU: respiratory intensive care unit; FOB: fiberoptic bronchoscopy.