bronchoscopy Patient Satisfaction With Conscious Sedation for Bronchoscopy* Stefano Putinati, MD; Licia Ballerin, MD; Lorenzo Corbetta, MD; Lucio Trevisani, MD; and Alfredo Potena, MD Study objective: Bronchoscopic technique is not standardized. Controversies exist with regard to premedication with sedatives before the test. To evaluate safety and efficacy of conscious sedation, we studied 100 randomized patients undergoing diagnostic bronchoscopy; patients received premedication with lidocaine spray and atropine sulfate IM (nonsedation group; 50 patients) or lidocaine spray, atropine IM and diazepam IV (sedation group; 50 patients). Methods and results: Monitoring during flexible fiberoptic bronchoscopy included continuous ECG and pulse oximetry. The procedure could not be completed in six patients. None received premedication with diazepam; among the patients who ended the examination, tolerance to the examination (visual analogue scale, 0 to 100; 0 5 excellent; 100 5 unbearable) was better in the sedation group. Low anxiety, male sex, but not age were also associated with improved patient tolerance to the test. Oxygen desaturation occurred in 17% of patients, and it was not more frequent after diazepam treatment. Conclusions: In our study, sedation had a beneficial effect on patient tolerance and rarely induced significant alterations in cardiorespiratory monitoring parameters. (CHEST 1999; 115:1437–1440) Key words: fiberoptic bronchoscopy; intravenous diazepam; premedication; sedation Abbreviations: FFB 5 flexible fiberoptic bronchoscopy; HR 5 heart rate; Spo2 5 oxygen saturation by pulse oxyimeter; VAS 5 visual analogue scale premedication before flexible fiberoptic P atient bronchoscopy (FFB) is variable, depending on the personal experience of individual operators. Most bronchoscopists administer sedative drugs before FFB in the conviction that a patient’s comfort might improve.1–3 The preferred sedative drugs are opioids and benzodiazepines, alone or in combination, but some bronchoscopists use more complex therapeutic regimens.3,4 However, there are potential complications with the routine use of sedative drugs. Up to half of the major life-threatening complications of FFB have been related to sedative drug regimens.1,5,6 Nevertheless, other authors think that many of these complications *From the Divisione di Fisiopatologia Respiratoria (Drs. Putinati, Ballerin, Corbetta, and Potena) and the First Divisione di Medicina Generale (Dr. Trevisani), Arcispedale S. Anna, Ferrara, Italy. Manuscript received March 31, 1998; revision accepted November 24, 1998. Correspondence to: Stefano Putinati, MD, Divisione di Fisiopatologia Respiratoria, Arcispedale S. Anna C.so Giovecca 203, 44100 Ferrara, Italy could be ascribed to inadequate resuscitation equipment availability, to the failure in giving supplemental oxygen, or to the use of opioids in combination with benzodiazepines, which reduces the drug safety.7 Nowadays, risk-benefit considerations have become important because routine diagnostic FFB can also be performed adequately without any sedation.8 –10 During FFB, conscious sedation would be justified by a significant improvement in a patient’s tolerance, outweighing sedation-related risks. To evaluate this problem, we performed a prospective, randomized, open study to verify the effect of conscious sedation with diazepam on a patient’s tolerance and cardiorespiratory parameters during routine diagnostic FFB. Materials and Methods Patients One hundred patients, undergoing a routine diagnostic FFB for the first time, were evaluated. Patients undergoing BAL and CHEST / 115 / 5 / MAY, 1999 Downloaded From: http://journal.publications.chestnet.org/ on 10/28/2014 1437 transbronchial biopsy, as well as intubated patients, were excluded from the study. Fifty-four bronchoscopies were performed on an outpatient basis; the other 46 patients underwent bronchoscopy during hospitalization. Each patient provided informed and written consent to bronchoscopy and was randomly allocated to either the group examined with sedation or without sedation. Procedure Before examination, patients performed FVC and FEV1 maneuvers and were asked to evaluate their subjective “fear” about the procedure. Answers were given on a 100-mm visual analogue scale (VAS), which was rated from 0 (not at all) to 100 (enormously), as previously described.11 Thirty minutes before FFB, each patient received atropine sulfate (0.5 mg IM). Topical anesthesia was achieved by giving 2% lidocaine solution in all the subjects under study. First, lidocaine was sprayed to the nasopharynx, and then it was administered through the bronchoscope onto the vocal cords and tracheobronchial tree, using 2-mL aliquots. A total of 300 mg of 2% lidocaine solution was given to each subject. Immediately before FFB, the sedation group received small boluses of diazepam IV, slowly injected over several minutes and until they became drowsy; this corresponded to a mental alertness-drowsiness index of 3.12 The dose of diazepam varied between 5 and 15 mg. A single pulmonologist, who was not blinded about the allocation of patients to one of the two groups, performed all of the FFBs transnasally, with the patients in supine position and using an FFB (Olympus BF 1T 20 D; Olympus; Tokyo, Japan). During the procedure, the heart rate (HR), ECG (Kontron Trakmon 7222; Watford; Herts, UK), and pulse oximetry (Minolta Pulsox-8; Minolta; Toyokama, Japan) were monitored. Supplemental oxygen was administered by nasal cannula if the oxygen saturation by pulse oximeter (Spo2) decreased below 90%. In case the procedure was not well tolerated (more than two unsuccessful attempts to introduce the bronchoscope and/or vigorous defense reactions), the procedure was considered a failure and immediately suspended. After FFB, both the investigator and the patients who did not receive diazepam assessed the global tolerance score to the examination on VAS (0 5 no bother, 100 5 intolerable), as well as five specific sensations, such as ease of introduction (0 5 very easy; 100 5 extremely difficult), vomiting, asphyxia, cough, and pain (0 5 nonexistent; 100 5 unbearable). Three hours after FFB with sedation, patients completed a questionnaire on their tolerance to the procedure. Outpatients were discharged home with a companion and were warned about side effects of sedation on mental performance, and advised not to drive for 24 h. The tolerance score was defined as the arithmetic mean of global tolerance and the mean of the five above-mentioned specific sensations. High scores indicated an unfavorable response. Statistics Statistical analyses was carried out by the x2 test and the Student’s t test. The impact of sedation, age, sex, and prebronchoscopy anxiety score on the main variable of patient’s tolerance was evaluated by multiple regression analysis. Results were considered significant if p values were , 0.05. Results There were no significant differences between the two groups in terms of age, sex, smoking status, 1438 Downloaded From: http://journal.publications.chestnet.org/ on 10/28/2014 indications for bronchoscopy, FEV1 (percent of the predicted one), and FVC values (percent of the predicted one) (Table 1). Bronchoscopic procedures carried out were similar in both groups, including endobronchial biopsies and/or brushings in 28% and 32% in the sedation and nonsedation groups, respectively. Anxiety score before FFB, as judged on VAS, was 40.57 6 30.16 in the sedation group and 40.63 6 30.10 in the nonsedation group (p 5 not significant). All FFBs performed under sedation were completed, while six procedures (12%) performed without sedation failed because of patient intolerance (p , 0.05); there was no difference in the two groups between inpatients and outpatients. Among the six patients who failed to complete the procedure, four were outpatients and two were inpatients. By comparing only patients in whom the FFB was fully completed, the tolerance score attributed by the patients was better in the sedation group than in the nonsedation group (14.75 6 11.71 vs 22.86 6 14.64, p , 0.05). The tolerance score attributed by the bronchoscopist was not significantly different in the two groups. However, it was significantly less than the score attributed by the patients, both in the sedation group (11.83 6 7.99 vs 14.75 6 11.71, p , 0.05) and in the nonsedation group (13.95 6 10.13 vs 22.86 6 14.64, p , 0.001). Multiple regression analysis showed that FFB was better tolerated in male patients (p , 0.05), in patients with less pre-FFB anxiety score, and in the sedation group (p , 0.01). By comparing the pre-FFB cardiorespiratory parameters with those taken during FFB, there was a significant fall in Spo2 (from 96.1 6 1.9% to 90.5 6 4.8%, p , 0.001 in the sedation group, and from 96.8 6 1.6% to 92.5 6 5.2%, p , 0.001 in the nonsedation group), and a significant rise in HR (from 79.6 6 14.9 beats/min to 104.6 6 20.8 beats/ Table 1—Patient Characteristics Male/female Age, yr* Inpatients, yes/no Smoking, yes/no FEV1, % predicted* FVC, % predicted* Duration of FFB, min* Indication for FFB Cancer Infiltrates Hemoptysis Other Sedation (n 5 50) Nonsedation (n 5 50) 41/9 61 6 13 21/29 38/12 80.4 6 17.9 90.2 6 18.4 7.5 6 2.8 38/12 62 6 12 25/25 42/8 84.5 6 21.2 94.4 6 20.1 7.7 6 2.3 25 14 7 4 26 13 7 4 *Mean 6 SD. Bronchoscopy min, p , 0.001 in the sedation group, and from 80.2 6 14.8 beats/min to 110.2 6 21.3 beats/min, p , 0.001 in the nonsedation group). However, the fall in Spo2 and the increase in the mean HR were not significantly different in the sedation and nonsedation groups (Table 2). A clinically relevant oxygen desaturation , 90% was observed in 16 of the 94 patients under study (17%), which was equally distributed in the two groups. Discussion FFB is mostly performed with the patient under conscious sedation.1,3 However, little is known about the relationship between sedation and patient satisfaction with the procedure.10,13–16 Various IV sedative drugs have been tested previously because of their ability to improve patient tolerance, and currently benzodiazepines are more frequently preferred for sedation during FFB.2,3 The use of benzodiazepines seems justified by its powerful anxiolytic and amnesiac effects, but the evidence supporting their use remains controversial. In fact, some clinical trials have shown a beneficial effect of benzodiazepines on patient tolerance,13–15 whereas other studies did not show any benefit.8 –10 Major flaws in the trial design are apparent in these studies. First, some trials were uncontrolled.8,9,14 Second, in three studies, the total amount of the given local anesthetic was not reported.8,10,15 Finally, in most studies, the depth of sedation was not evaluated.8,9,13,15 In one study, diazepam was used in a preestablished dose, but because of the varying susceptibility of patients to IV sedative drugs, it is conceivable that not all the patients could have achieved the same degree of sedation.13 We administered a 300-mg total dose of lidocaine topically in all patients because, in our experience and those of others,1,16,17 such a dose induced good topical anesthesia and was below the toxic dose.18,19 The recommended dose of lidocaine ranges from 3 to 4 mg/kg of body weight4,20 to 6 to 7 mg/kg.19 Studies have suggested that doses higher then those recommended may be safe21–23 since much of the administered lidocaine may be swallowed or aspirated by suction. There are great interindividual differences in both the absorbed fraction and the clearance of topical lidocaine. Moreover, the two methods of anesthetic applications, spray in the upper airways and solution in the lower airways, have different absorption profiles, and therefore it seemed reasonable to chose a standard safe dose. This is important in clinical practice in which it is not possible to monitor serum lidocaine concentrations. We did not observe any toxic effects obviously due to lidocaine. The present study shows that IV diazepam had a beneficial effect on patient tolerance to FFB. All the patients in the sedation group completed the FFB and their tolerance scores were significantly higher than those of the nonsedation group. The tolerance score was much worse when rated by patients than by the bronchoscopist. This might highlight an underestimation of a patient’s discomfort by the bronchoscopist, as previously reported.13,24 These data indicate the importance of patients’ opinions in such studies, and shows that physicians often do not fully appreciate patients’ responses to such procedures. In our study, male patients tolerated bronchoscopy better than female patients, confirming the results of a previous study.25 Furthermore, a high degree of anxiety before the procedure resulted in lower patient tolerance. In this respect, sedation with diazepam was the most important variable associated with improved patient tolerance to FFB. Age had no effect on improved patient tolerance, contrary to a previous study.25 The usual hemodynamic response to FFB is an increase in HR and BP together with oxygen desaturation episodes.26 –28 These changes may lead to an increased risk of arrhythmia29 and myocardial ischemia during FFB.30 The hypoxemia has been attributed to the FFB itself 27,31 or to the respiratory depression associated with the use of sedatives.4,32 The incidence and severity of respiratory depression during FFB is likely to be correlated to the sedative agent dose,25 and it is lower by using benzodiazepines than opioids.32–34 In our study, the Spo2 decreased and HR increased during FFB, but the difference between the two groups was not statistically significant. Neither Table 2—HR and SpO2 During Bronchoscopy HR, beats/min Endoscopy Before During After Spo2, % Sedation Nonsedation Sedation Nonsedation 79.6 6 14.9 104.6 6 20.8 88.9 6 17.2 80.2 6 14.8 110.2 6 21.3 86.9 6 15.1 96.1 6 1.9 90.5 6 4.8 94.1 6 2.6 96.8 6 1.6 92.5 6 5.2 94.9 6 3.2 CHEST / 115 / 5 / MAY, 1999 Downloaded From: http://journal.publications.chestnet.org/ on 10/28/2014 1439 ST changes in the ECG, indicating myocardial ischemia, nor cardiac arrhythmias were noted during FFB. This is in conflict with a previous study,30 even if in our study no complex procedures were performed and all the examinations were brief. In conclusion, the present study showed an overall improved patient tolerance during routine FFB with conscious sedation, and without any increased cardiorespiratory risks. The results of our study are clinically relevant and may be helpful in reducing a patient’s discomfort during routine FFB. ACKNOWLEDGMENT: The authors are indebted to A.J. 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