Paediatric nonbronchoscopic bronchoalveolar lavage overview and recommendations for clinical practice

Abstract

NB-BAL is an effective procedure for the diagnosis of pulmonary disease processes in ventilated infants and children. This procedure is, however, not without risks to both patients and staff. Numerous complications of NB-BAL exist, with hypoxia being themost common. As a result, care should be taken in performing NB-BAL on haemodynamically unstable patients; patients with coagulation defects; and patients with cardiac or brain abnormalities.This paper presents an overview of paediatric nonbronchoscopic bronchoalveolar lavage (NB-BAL) including: the rationale for NB-BAL; the complications associated with the procedure; indications and contraindications. It also recommends an evidence-basedclinical guideline for performing the procedure in the paediatric intensive care unit. By following the NB-BAL guidelines presented in this paper, one can ensure that an effective specimen is obtained from the lower respiratory tract, whilst minimising the risk to the patient.

Keywords

• nonbronchoscopic bronchoalveolar lavage
• paediatric
• intensive care
• clinical guideline