[Anesthesia for bronchoscopy].

Fiberoptic bronchoscopy is a valuable diagnostic and therapeutic procedure in many clinical situations and is relatively simple to perform with the proper techniques. Local anesthetic techniques are often preferable for bronchoscopy since the examination is mostly undertaken as outpatient procedure. When the topical anesthesia is supplemented with light sedation, the procedure is easier and more acceptable to the patient. We describe a very efficient technique based on the transtracheal injection of a minimal amount of lidocaine directly on the upper airway mucosa, producing adequate anaesthesia. The method is easy to perform and safe.