[Emergency bronchofibroscopic examination of patients with bronchial asthma and pulmonary fibrosis].

Records of 1,010 bronchofibroscopies were reviewed. Patients were examined with diagnostic and therapeutic indications, of which 6.8% were asthmatics. In most of them typical findings were seen signs of inflammation with thick, mucous secretions. In patients with status asthmaticus (0.6% of the analyzed population) bronchofibroscopy was carried out under life threatening conditions, the endoscopes being introduced through an intubation tube. Large volumes of secretions were evacuated producing more suitable conditions for further therapy and an improvement of the patients clinical condition. The authors believe that their data suggest the use of more invasive therapeutical methods in bronchial asthma.