[Experiences in the diagnosis of lower respiratory tract infection using a double-sheathed brush catheter]

Specimens from the lower airways were taken by protected brush catheter during 54 fiberoptic bronchoscopies for quantitative microbiological analysis. This technique allows uncontaminated sampling of lower airway secretion. The chance of identifying a bacterial pathogen in patients who have already been treated with antibiotics was less than 10%. The method is cumbersome, and it is important not only to culture but also to quantify the bacteria. The microbiological results thus obtained have influenced clinical decision-making in only a few patients.