Absence of clinical pneumonia following bronchoscopy with contaminated and clean bronchofiberscopes

Two hundred forty-nine fiberoptic bronchoscopy procedures were surveyed for the presence of bronchoscopy-related pneumonia. The first 103 procedures were performed during a period when the fiberscope was presemably contaminated with Pseudomonas aeruginosa. Chart review of these 103 procedures and prospective epidemiologic surveillance of the remaining 146 procedures revealed no cases of bronchoscopy-related pneumonia.