[Pediatric fiber bronchoscopy. Our experience]

Fiberoptic bronchoscopy is at present an indispensable technique in pediatric pulmonology. Sixty-nine such procedures were performed at our center between April 1993 and November 1994 on children under 14 years-old. We used an Olympus BF-3C20 fiberoptic bronchoscope, after providing sedation with diazepam or midazolam, sometimes accompanied by fentanyl and atropine. No intubation was required in 59 cases. In 9 cases intubation was orotracheal. In one patient the tubes were inserted outside the trachea. The indications for bronchoscopy were upper airways disease (16.98%), lower airways disease (75.47%) and exploratory in 7.54%. The endoscopic findings were upper airways disease (8.6%), bronchial disease (52.17%), extrinsic bronchial compression (4.34%) and normal (13.04%). Samples were taken in 52.17%. No important complications occurred but there were slight decreases in oxygen saturation.