A Lung Wash is also called Bronchial washing and is part of a procedure called a bronchoscopy, in which a physician looks into the lungs with a fibre-optic bronchoscope to check for irregularities and take tissue samples. The physician injects saline through the bronchoscope into the lung and then suctions it back out. By checking the wash return fluid, the doctor can diagnose bleeding, pneumonia, industrial pollutants, fungal infections and different kinds of lung cancer. Patients undergoing bronchial washing usually receive topical anesthesia with sedation. Most side effects of bronchial washing are mild and include coughing, sore throat and a sleepy feeling from being sedated.
Doctors usually perform several tests before a bronchoscopy, such as X-rays and blood work. Patients should not eat anything six to 12 hours before the bronchial washing. They also should not drink any liquids on the day of the procedure. Patients should avoid aspirin or aspirin-containing medications, and they should refrain from smoking for at least 24 hours before the procedure. Doctors will ask patients to sign an informed consent form to verify that they understand the procedure and the risks of complications.
Bronchial washings are usually done in a special endoscopy room. The patient is placed on a bed on her back or sometimes sitting up. The doctor will start an IV a tube connected to a vein in the arm so that he can give the patient a sedating medication. The doctor will use a bronchoscope, a flexible tube less than one-half inch in diameter and about two feet long. It has fibre-optics inside that allow the doctor to illuminate and see inside the lung. It also has passages for irrigation and tiny instruments like brushes and forceps, which the doctor uses to obtain tissue samples from the lung.
The doctor will ask the patient to inhale a numbing mist or gargle with numbing jelly, which stops the gag reflex, before the procedure. The doctor will also coat the bronchoscope with numbing jelly. Then he will insert the scope through the nose or mouth into a bronchus branch of the air passages in the lung. Once the scope is snug inside the bronchus, the doctor will inject a small amount of normal saline into the lung air passage and suction it back out. He may repeat this procedure several times to get an adequate sample. Normal saline is a sterile liquid that has the same saltiness as body fluids.
Doctors usually perform several tests before a bronchoscopy, such as X-rays and blood work. Patients should not eat anything six to 12 hours before the bronchial washing. They also should not drink any liquids on the day of the procedure. Patients should avoid aspirin or aspirin-containing medications, and they should refrain from smoking for at least 24 hours before the procedure. Doctors will ask patients to sign an informed consent form to verify that they understand the procedure and the risks of complications.
Bronchial washings are usually done in a special endoscopy room. The patient is placed on a bed on her back or sometimes sitting up. The doctor will start an IV a tube connected to a vein in the arm so that he can give the patient a sedating medication. The doctor will use a bronchoscope, a flexible tube less than one-half inch in diameter and about two feet long. It has fibre-optics inside that allow the doctor to illuminate and see inside the lung. It also has passages for irrigation and tiny instruments like brushes and forceps, which the doctor uses to obtain tissue samples from the lung.
The doctor will ask the patient to inhale a numbing mist or gargle with numbing jelly, which stops the gag reflex, before the procedure. The doctor will also coat the bronchoscope with numbing jelly. Then he will insert the scope through the nose or mouth into a bronchus branch of the air passages in the lung. Once the scope is snug inside the bronchus, the doctor will inject a small amount of normal saline into the lung air passage and suction it back out. He may repeat this procedure several times to get an adequate sample. Normal saline is a sterile liquid that has the same saltiness as body fluids.
