الفهرس | Only 14 pages are availabe for public view |
Abstract To determine the diagnostic and therapeutic value of flexible fiberoptic bronchoscope in critical children, characteristics of the children who will need the procedure and its impact on the patient outcome in a paediatric intensive care unit (PICU). Prospective observational study over one year included 32 Egyptian children (age: 1 month to 12 years old) hospitalized in PICU with persistent pulmonary symptoms were included. Mucus plugging and airway inflammation were the most common findings of the patients. And BAL in the patients with inflammation and infection secondary to ventilator associated pneumonia had a sensitivity of 100% in comparison to both blood and sputum cultures. Also patients less than 2 years of age required less ventilation days and less mortality but the P value was only approaching statistical significance as regarding their PICU outcome (p value = 0.07), this signifies how the FFB procedure could effectively shorten the ventilation days in those with acute illness |