[Safety of modified T-piece resuscitator versus nasal cannula oxygen in electronic bronchoscopy for infants: a prospective randomized controlled study]

OBJECTIVES

To optimize the oxygen therapy regimens for infants with pulmonary diseases during bronchoscopy.

METHODS

A prospective randomized, controlled, and single-center clinical trial was conducted on 42 infants who underwent electronic bronchoscopy from July 2019 to July 2021. These infants were divided into a nasal cannula (NC) group and a modified T-piece resuscitator (TPR) group using a random number table. The lowest intraoperative blood oxygen saturation was recorded as the primary outcome, and intraoperative heart rate and respiratory results were recorded as the secondary outcomes.

RESULTS

Compared with the NC group, the modified TPR group had a significantly higher level of minimum oxygen saturation during surgery and a significantly lower incidence rate of hypoxemia (P<0.05). In the modified TPR group, there were 6 infants with mild hypoxemia, 2 with moderate hypoxemia, and 1 with severe hypoxemia, while in the NC group, there were 3 infants with mild hypoxemia, 5 with moderate hypoxemia, and 9 with severe hypoxemia (P<0.05). The modified TPR group had a significantly lower incidence rate of intraoperative respiratory rhythm abnormalities than the NC group (P<0.05), but there was no significant difference in the incidence rate of arrhythmias between the two groups (P>0.05).

CONCLUSIONS

Modified TPR can significantly reduce the risk of hypoxemia in infants with pulmonary diseases during electronic bronchoscopy, and TPR significantly decreases the severity of hypoxemia and the incidence of respiratory rhythm abnormalities compared with traditional NC.

Etiology and clinical features of infection-associated plastic bronchitis in children

OBJECTIVE

To investigate the etiological characteristics of plastic bronchitis (PB) caused by pulmonary infections in children and to identify any differences in the clinical features of PB cases caused by different pathogens.

METHOD

We collected data on children diagnosed with PB and admitted to the Respiratory Department at Soochow University Children's Hospital between July 2021 and March 2023 utilizing electronic bronchoscopy. We analyzed clinical characteristics and the species of pathogens causing the illness in these children.

RESULT

A total of 45 children were enrolled. The main clinical symptoms observed were cough (100%), fever (80%), shortness of breath (28.9%), and wheezing (20.0%). Pathogens were identified in 38 (84.4%) patients. Mycoplasma pneumoniae (MP) had the highest detection rate at 53.3%, followed by the Boca virus at 26.7%. MP-induced PB typically occurs in older children with an average age of 7.46 ± 2.36 years, with the main symptoms including high fever (85.7%) and local hyporespiration (42.9%). In contrast, Boca virus-induced PB tends to occur in younger children, with the main symptoms of moderate fever (54.5%), and wheezing (54.5%). The MP group exhibited a higher incidence of both internal and external pulmonary complications, including pleural effusion (42.9%), elevated aspartate aminotransferase (52.4%), lactic dehydrogenase (76.2%), and D-D dimer (90.5%). Conversely, the Boca virus group primarily showed pulmonary imaging of atelectasis (81.8%), with no pleural effusion. The average number of bronchoscopic interventions in the MP group was 2.24 ± 0.62, which was significantly higher than that required in the Boca virus group (1.55 ± 0.52). During the second bronchoscopy, 57.1% of children in the MP group still had visible mucus plugs, while none were observed in the Boca virus group.

CONCLUSION

MP and Boca virus are the primary pathogens responsible for PB among children. The clinical manifestations of PB typically vary significantly based on the pathogen causing the condition.

Portable electronic bronchoscopy for clinical application: a multi-institutional randomized instrument validation study

OBJECTIVE

Electronic bronchoscopy is routinely used for the diagnosis and treatment of lung and bronchial disorders. However, the devices used are normally large and costly. Here, we evaluated the clinical effectiveness of a portable electronic bronchoscope produced by Zhejiang UE Medical Corp., the UE-EB.

METHODS

We conducted a multi-institutional, randomized, single-blind, non-inferiority and parallel-group controlled clinical trial. Participants were randomly assigned 1:1 to the experimental group or control group. The primary indicator was the effectiveness of the device. Safety indicators were assessed from enrollment to 3 days after the operation.

RESULTS

The UE-EB had good consistency between groups during the procedure, and the effective rate was 100.00% in both groups. The difference value (95% confidence interval) between the two groups was 0.00% (-5.45%, 5.45%), and the lower limit was greater than -10% (negative non-inferiority margin). There was also no difference between the two groups in terms safety indicators.

CONCLUSIONS

The portable electronic bronchoscope described in this study showed reliable effectiveness and safety. This device is worth promoting and applying in clinical practice.Research registry number: ZXLB20200295 (Zhejiang Medical Products Administration, China).

Diagnostic Value of Virtual Bronchoscopic Navigation in the Bronchial Tuberculosis Induced Central Airway Stenosis

Introduction

Electronic bronchoscopy is invasive and may cause pain. This study aimed to explore the clinical value of virtual bronchoscopic navigation (VBN) in the diagnosis of benign central airway stenosis (CAS) secondary to tracheobronchial tuberculosis (TBT).

Methods

Sixty-eight patients with benign CAS caused by TBT were recruited between July 2015 and December 2017. The location, length and diameter of stenoses were independently determined by VBN and electronic bronchoscopy (EOB), and the sensitivity and specificity of VBN in identifying stenosis were assessed with EOB as the gold standard.

Results

In 68 patients with TBT, the overall coincidence between EOB and VBN in the identification of stenosis was 100%. A total of 188 sites were selected from the central airway, and the stenosis was graded into 0%, ≤ 25%, 26–50%, 51–75%, 76–90% and > 90%. The sensitivity of VBN in determining the degree of stenosis was 98.45%, 100.00%, 100.00%, 100.00%, 84.62% and 0.00%, respectively; the specificity was 91.53%, 96.07%, 97.09%, 97.08%, 97.14% and 97.30%, respectively; the accuracy rate was 96.28%, 96.28%, 97.34%, 97.34%, 96.28% and 95.7%, respectively. The length of airway stenosis on EOB was divided into < 10 mm, 10–30 mm, 30–50 mm and > 50 mm. There was no significant difference in the length of airway stenosis between VBN and EOB (t = 0.083, P = 0.936; t = 1.340, P = 0.199; t = 1.297, P = 0.216; t = 2.186, P = 0.081). In three patients who received stent placement, VBN was able to accurately assess the postoperative expansion.

Conclusion

VBN is helpful for the diagnosis of TBT-induced CBS and may provide important information on the location, length, diameter and cross-sectional area of stenosis for further EOB examination and interventional therapy. VBN is recommended for patients with TBT and those with contradictions to bronchoscopy, as well as for regular follow-up of stable TBT, because it reduces the incidence of injury, avoids repeat operations and shortens treatment time.