Is bronchoscopy necessary to treat pneumonia with COPD?

Question

Hello doctor,

My father is in the hospital, fighting pneumonia and has chronic obstructive pulmonary disease (COPD). His latest X-ray has shown some improvement. The X-ray shows he has an extensive airspace and interstitial opacities in the left lung and a patchy opacity in the right lower lung. The plan is to do a bronchoscopy and use a tube to assist in getting him oxygen.

Kindly guide.

Answer 1

Hello,

Welcome to icliniq.com.

I have gone through the history of your father's illness, which you have provided (attachment removed to protect patient identity). The X-ray reports are suggestive of pneumonia. At this stage, on initial antibiotics and supportive treatment, if he has not improved, bronchoscopy may be essential to isolate the organism that has caused pneumonia. This will help to guide antibiotic therapy. By tube to assist oxygen, they are possibly implying putting him on a ventilator? That may be necessary if he is not able to breathe on his own adequately to maintain oxygen in his body.

I hope this helps.

Please feel free to reach out in case of further queries.

Thank you.

Answer 2

Hello,

Welcome back to icliniq.com.

I would require his complete history, reports and current diagnosis to give my opinion properly. From the details you have provided, it is my understanding that he has been diagnosed with COPD (chronic obstructive pulmonary disease) and pneumonia. I did not understand the part regarding the removal of fluid. Do you mean fluid in the lungs, medically called pulmonary edema? Or doctors might have explained pneumonia as an accumulation of fluid in the lungs, in simple parlance, to make you understand better. If it is pneumonia, the treatment would be antibiotics, nebulization for his COPD, and oxygen therapy if his oxygen levels are low. There might be a need for ventilator support if he is not able to breathe adequately on his own.

I hope this helps.

Thank you.