Objective: To observe the effect of bronchial lavage (BL) on infant bronchial foreign bodies with pneumonia during the bronchoscopic surgery, and assess its clinical value.
Method: One hundred and twenty-three cases aged between 1-3 years were randomly divided into two groups. The control group (n=58) underwent rigid bronchoscopic retrieval of foreign bodies under general anaesthesia, and the BL group (n=65) received an additional BL using 1% lidocaine (2 ml) with 1:100000 epinephrine, and 0.125% metronidazole (5 ml) during the bronchoscopic procedure. We compared intraoperative complications and postoperative recovery time between the two groups.
Result: The incidence rate of complications in the BL group was significantly lower than that in the control group (P<0.05). An earlier recovery after surgery was achieved in the BL group (P<0.05).
Conclusion: Intraoperative BL is a safe and effective therapy for reducing the incidence of complications and improving the recovery in infant patients of bronchial foreign bodies with subsequent pneumonia.