Therapeutic bronchoscopy facilitates liberation from mechanical ventilation and improves quality of life for critically ill patients with central airway obstruction.

ABSTRACT: Central airway obstruction (CAO) remains a challenging disease for both patients who are suffering from it and for physicians who are managing it. Patients will frequently present with acute symptoms of respiratory failure that require management in an intensive care unit (ICU). While the true prevalence and incidence of CAO in the ICU setting is unknown, recent estimates suggest that approximately 20-30% of patients with a cancer diagnosis may present with CAO or develop it after diagnosis. Therapeutic bronchoscopy focuses on performing minimally invasive procedures using multiple ablative modalities to recanalize the central airway and alleviate the obstruction. While procedures are usually technically successful, they appear to be underutilized. An individually tailored approach is ofte

SUBMITTER: Benn BS 

PROVIDER: S-EPMC8411172 | biostudies-literature | 2021 Aug

REPOSITORIES: biostudies-literature