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Prospective Study of Fever and Pneumonia After Flexible Fiberoptic Bronchoscopy in Older People
Author(s) -
Kanemoto Kouji,
Satoh Hiroaki,
Ishikawa Hiroichi,
Ishikawa Shigemi,
Ohtsuka Morio,
Sekizawa Kiyohisa
Publication year - 2006
Publication title -
journal of the american geriatrics society
Language(s) - English
Resource type - Journals
SCImago Journal Rank - 1.992
H-Index - 232
eISSN - 1532-5415
pISSN - 0002-8614
DOI - 10.1111/j.1532-5415.2006.00705.x
Subject(s) - medicine , pneumonia , incidence (geometry) , bronchoscopy , prospective cohort study , surgery , lung cancer , physics , optics
OBJECTIVES: To assess the frequency of fever and pneumonia after fiberoptic bronchoscopy (FOB) in older people and to evaluate increased risk for these two adverse events with increasing age. DESIGN: Prospective study. SETTING: University hospital system. PARTICIPANTS: Three hundred fifty‐eight patients, with 165 (46.1%) patients aged 70 and older, undergoing bronchoscopy. MEASUREMENTS: Indications, abnormal bronchoscopic findings, sampling procedures, final diagnosis, and fever and pneumonia after bronchoscopy. RESULTS: With regard to the indication for bronchoscopy and abnormal bronchoscopic findings, there was no statistical difference between elderly patients (≥70) and younger patients (<70). Procedures such as forceps biopsy, brushing, and curetting were not performed more often in elderly patients, although final diagnosis of lung cancer was significantly more common in the elderly group ( P =.002). The overall incidence of fever after FOB was 6.7%, and that of pneumonia after FOB was 5.6%. The patients aged 70 and older had an incidence of fever after FOB of 3.6% and an incidence of pneumonia of 4.2%, which were not higher than those in patients younger than 70. CONCLUSION: Increasing age is not associated with increasing fever and pneumonia after FOB, and chronological age should not be considered a limiting factor in the decision of whether to perform FOB when it is clinically indicated.