The incidence of adverse events during endobronchial ultrasound is low. Nevertheless, it is unclear, whether patients with impaired pulmonary function have an increased risk of respiratory events during the intervention.
A monocentric prospective observational study was performed at the Department of Respiratory Medicine, University Hospital Frankfurt/Main, Germany. Adult patients undergoing an endobronchial ultrasound examination with propofol-sedation were included. Pre-interventional screening included pulmonary function testing, laboratory tests and electrocardiogram. The occurrence of hypercapnia >55 mmHg or reduced oxygen saturation <85% was defined as a respiratory event was recorded and compared between patients with normal and impaired pulmonary function tests.
In total, 126 patients were included. Pulmonary function testing revealed a median FEV1 of 2.2 l (range 0.4–6.04l) and a predicted FEV1 of 79.5% (range 20–127.8%) respectively. The median FVC was 3.0 l (range 0.87–7.28l), the median predicted FVC was 82% (range 31.4–128.4%). In 72 examinations (60%) pCO2 levels >55 mmHg were measured. Transient oxygen desaturation <85% occurred in 31 cases (25.8%). The Mann Whitney U-test showed a significantly lower FEV1 (% predicted value) in patients with respiratory events (
An impaired forced expiratory volume is associated with the frequency of respiratory events during endobronchial ultrasound examination under propofol-sedation.