Safety of Bronchoscopy in Patients With Interstitial Lung Disease: A Prospective, Observational, Multicentre, International Study

Bronchoscopy is an essential technique, routinely used in the differential diagnosis workup of many Interstitial Lung Diseases (ILDs) and in referral centres is a common procedure. Bronchoalveolar lavage (BAL), bronchial and transbronchial biopsies with forceps and cryoprobes, and lymph node sampling with endosonography represent the most used sampling techniques in these patients. However, patients with ILDs refer to medical attention in a wide range of clinical conditions from mild functional impairment, with absent or few respiratory symptoms, to severe lung involvement with low exercise tolerance and/or chronic respiratory failure. In these patients, a balance between benefits and risk, i.e. to the safety and diagnostic utility of bronchoscopy should be always carefully evaluated. Moreover, there is a wide variability in adverse events entity and frequency depending by procedures performed during bronchoscopy.

Despite its crucial utility, only few data are available in the literature on the safety of bronchoscopy in patients with ILDs and limited data on the utility and safety of this sampling technique are present in patients with AE-ILDs.

The primary aim of this study is to assess the overall rate of complications occurring within 24 hours after bronchoscopy. Study rate and type of complications occurring during the endoscopic procedure, within 30 days after bronchoscopy, in patients with AE-ILDs, among fibrotic Vs non-fibrotic ILD, and according to each employed sampling technique will be also recorded.