Aljishi A, Alalbdulhadi D, Alabbadi G, Ali MH, Ivey MK, Almusa Z, Abdulqawi R. Diagnostic Utility of Bronchoalveolar Lavage in Immunocompromised Patients with Lung Infiltrates.
Saudi J Med Med Sci 2023;
11:169-174. [PMID:
37252024 PMCID:
PMC10211421 DOI:
10.4103/sjmms.sjmms_363_22]
[Citation(s) in RCA: 0] [Impact Index Per Article: 0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [What about the content of this article? (0)] [Affiliation(s)] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Track Full Text] [Download PDF] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 07/13/2022] [Revised: 10/29/2022] [Accepted: 03/16/2023] [Indexed: 05/31/2023]
Abstract
Introduction
Lung infections are associated with a high mortality rate in immunocompromised patients. Achieving an accurate and rapid diagnosis is vital to help guide management, and thus improve survival.
Objective
To establish the diagnostic yield, clinical value, and safety of bronchoscopy with bronchoalveolar lavage (BAL) in immunocompromised adult patients with pulmonary infiltrates.
Methods
This retrospective study included all immunocompromised adult patients who underwent bronchoscopy with BAL for investigation of radiologically confirmed pulmonary infiltrates at a tertiary care hospital between January 01, 2014, and June 30, 2021. Clinically significant findings of BAL were defined as a positive microbiological result of a potential pathogen determined using routine culture, acid-fast bacilli smear, mycobacterial culture, tuberculosis PCR, fungal culture, Aspergillus antigen, and multiplex PCR panel and/or positive cytology.
Results
A total of 103 unique patients were included (mean ± SD age: 44.5 ± 14.1 years), of which the majority were male (60.2%). The BAL diagnostic yield was 52.4% (95% CI: 42.6-62.2%). In the multiple logistic regression model, positive BAL was predicted by symptom of sputum (aOR 4.01, 95% CI: 1.27-12.70, P = 0.018). Almost half of the procedures (43.7%, 95% CI: 33.9-53.4%) resulted in a change in the management plan, with positive BAL findings more than twice as likely to result in a change (OR 2.39, 95% CI: 1.07-5.33, P = 0.033). Only three (2.9%) procedures resulted in complications and required ventilator support and/or oxygen escalation.
Conclusions
BAL is a safe clinical tool that can be useful in impacting clinical management in a significant proportion of immunocompromised patients with pulmonary infiltrates.
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