Single-use flexible bronchoscopes vs traditional reusable flexible bronchoscopes: a prospective controlled study

Area of Science:

• Pulmonology
• Medical Devices
• Infectious Disease Prevention

Background:

• Reusable flexible bronchoscopes (RFB) pose a risk of cross-contamination and infection.
• Single-use flexible bronchoscopes (SFB) eliminate infection risks associated with reusable devices.
• Comparative data on SFB versus RFB performance in complex procedures like biopsies is lacking.

Purpose of the Study:

• To compare the efficacy and safety of SFB against RFB in performing transbronchial biopsies and other bronchoscopic procedures.
• To evaluate if SFB can match the performance of RFB in diagnostic and interventional bronchoscopy.
• To assess operator satisfaction with SFB compared to RFB.

Main Methods:

• Prospective controlled study involving 45 patients undergoing bronchoscopic biopsy.
• Patients were divided into SFB and RFB groups for routine bronchoscopy, bronchoalveolar lavage, and biopsy.
• Key metrics included procedure time, bronchoalveolar lavage fluid recovery rate, biopsy time, bleeding volume, and operator feedback via questionnaire.

Main Results:

• No significant differences were observed in routine examination time (P=0.308) or biopsy time (P=0.512) between SFB and RFB groups.
• Bronchoalveolar lavage fluid recovery rates were comparable, with no statistically significant difference (P=0.863).
• Both SFB and RFB achieved a 100% positive biopsy rate, and operators reported general satisfaction with SFB performance.

Conclusions:

• Single-use flexible bronchoscopes are non-inferior to reusable flexible bronchoscopes for routine bronchoscopy, bronchoalveolar lavage, and biopsy.
• SFBs demonstrate comparable efficacy and safety to RFBs in complex bronchoscopic procedures.
• The findings support the expanded clinical application of SFBs, offering a safer alternative for patients.