Background: Bronchoscopy is a safe procedure, but current guidelines recommend transfusion for platelets <20 K/μL. Studies of bronchoscopy in thrombocytopenia are limited.
Objectives: Our objective was to evaluate the incidence of bleeding with flexible bronchoscopy in those with thrombocytopenia especially those <20 K/μL.
Method: We performed a retrospective review of all flexible bronchoscopies between June 1, 2008 and December 31, 2010. Biopsies and therapeutic procedures were excluded. The χ, Fisher exact, and Rank-sum test were conducted to evaluate associations of clinically significant bleeding.
Results: There were 1711 patients who underwent 2053 flexible bronchoscopies. Cancer diagnosis included hematologic (61.3%) and solid organ malignancy (34.9%). Half of the bronchoscopies had moderate to severe thrombocytopenia (<100 K/μL) with the following ranges: 14.7% with 50 to <100 K/μL, 20.6% with 20 to <50 K/μL, 10.6% with 10 to <20 K/μL, 4.1% with <10 K/μL. Platelet transfusion was given in 90.6% of those with platelets <10 K/μL and 55.5% of those with platelets 10 to <20 K/μL. The nasal route for bronchoscopy was used in 92.4%. Bleeding complication rate however was 1.1% (0.2% major) and not affected by platelets.
Conclusion: Bronchoscopy with lavage can be safely performed without platelet transfusion in those with platelets of ≥10 K/μL. In the absence of nasal bleeding, trauma, or deformity, the nasal route can be used for bronchoscopy.