[Bronchoalveolar lavage technique in patients with alveolar proteinosis]

Bronchoalveolar Lavage (BAL) was first described more than fifteen years ago; it is still the treatment of choice in Alveolar Proteinosis. Despite several clinical therapeutic trials, for new therapeutics none of them has achieved the results of Bronchoalveolar Lavage. It has been proved that, not only are they ineffective, but they can also have dangerous consequences. Alveolar proteinosis is a rare lung illness that implies the patient's hypoxia and progressive incapacity, being clinical dyspnea its most frequent characteristic. The BAL. with sodium chloride by filling and emptying the lungs allows to wash the fosfolipid material. That its on the alveoli giving the patient a great improve in short space of time. The aim of our work is to describe the technique used in Bronchoalveolar Lavage as well as the changes that have taken place since the beginning of its practice in our Critical Care Unit for the last fifteen years and so the nursing work that it is on this technic. This procedure needs to be made on a UCI for the need of mechanical ventilation. The time of instance on UCI is 24 h. In our experience we are able to make the BAL. in both lungs in the same session, there are no important complications and there is no need of readmission. We conclude that there is evidence that these treatment is effective.