Risks and complications of nonbronchoscopic bronchoalveolar lavage in a pediatric intensive care unit.

This paper aims to document the risks and complications of nonbronchoscopic bronchoalveolar lavage (NB-BAL) in 35 mechanically ventilated patients with diffuse severe pneumonia in a single pediatric intensive care unit. A prospective collection of data on patients' ventilatory settings and oxygen requirements before NB-BAL, and oxyhemoglobin saturations and heart rate readings before, during, and after the procedure were taken on each patient. The major complication of NB-BAL was arterial desaturation, which was more severe and prolonged in patients with poor oxygenation indices and PaO(2)/FiO(2) ratios. The diagnostic yield of the procedure was high at 69%. Copyright 2001 Wiley-Liss, Inc.