Abstract

ABSTRACTA new Pulmonary Medicine–Thoracic Surgery service was established in a community hospital in July 1974. This report details the experience of 409 bronchoscopies performed from July 1, 1974 through Dec 31, 1976. There were no deaths and four complications—one aspiration and three pneumothoraces resulting from transbronchial lung biopsy. Final diagnoses for which bronchoscopy was done were as follows: cancer—141; infectious disease—97; interstitial disease—33; obstructive lung disease—58; hemoptysis—35; miscellaneous—45. In the cancer group, a cytohistologic diagnosis was made in 82 patients by bronchoscopy alone, 31 additional diagnoses were made by scalene node biopsy or mediastinoscopy, and the remainder by surgical exploration and/or resection. In 268 patients with benign disease, bronchoscopy established the diagnosis in 87% of the cases. Pulmonary Medicine tended not to repeat nondiagnostic bronchoscopy but rather to refer immediately for a definitive surgical procedure. Thoracic Surgery tended not to reduplicate bronchoscopy for the purpose of “confirmation.” A conjoint medical-surgical approach to bronchial disease, at the community level and based on a mutual understanding of capability and limitation, is feasible, productive, and economical.