Evaluation of the patient undergoing respiratory endoscopic procedures

Endoscopic techniques can be considered reasonably safe since they are widely used and the rate of complications is extremely low. Still complications do occur and in order to avoid them, the evaluation of the patient before and after any intervention is of the utmost importance. In this article, issues concerning the preparation of the patient and informed consent, the general assessment - medical history, current medications, physical examination, laboratory tests, radiological evaluation and analysis of the indication and planning will be addressed. The post intervention evaluation will also be discussed, in order to detect and treat complications and decide on the final guidance for the patient after discharge. There are very few up-to-date studies or publications dealing with these areas, the evidence level remains low and most recommendations are based on common sense and expert opinion.