Original Research

Frequency of Acute Complications after Fiber-Optic Bronchoscopy Procedure in a Tertiary Care Hospital

Ambreen Yaseen1
Khyber Teaching Hospital /Khyber Medical College Peshawar
Rukhsana Javed Farooqi1
Khyber Teaching Hospital /Khyber Medical College Peshawar
Muhammad Younas1
Khyber Teaching Hospital /Khyber Medical College Peshawar
Karishma Rehman1
Khyber Teaching Hospital /Khyber Medical College Peshawar
Saadia Ashraf1
Khyber Teaching Hospital /Khyber Medical College Peshawar
Shafqat Shahzad2
University of The Punjab, Lahore

✉ Correspondence: Rukhsana Javed Farooqi Email: rukhsanafarooqi1995@gmail.com

DOI https://doi.org/10.70302/jpsim.v7i1.2606
Volume: 7, Issue 1 Pages: 28–32 Published: 10 Mar 2026
Received: 18 Jul 2025 Revised: 06 Jan 2026 Accepted: 17 Feb 2026 Published Online: 10 Mar 2026

Abstract

Objective

To assess the frequency of acute complications in patients undergoing bronchoscopy presenting to a tertiary care facility.

Methods

A cross-sectional study was conducted at the Pulmonology unit of Khyber Teaching Hospital, Peshawar, from 14-10-2022 to 14-04-2023 on 221 patients of either gender, aged between 16 to 70 years, who underwent bronchoscopy. The sample size was calculated using WHO sample size calculator; all the patients aged 16 to 70 years undergoing the bronchoscopy, regardless of their gender, were included in the study. Basic demographic features like age, gender, and occupation were recorded. A bronchoscopy was performed by a consultant using a fiberoptic bronchoscope Olympus BF type 1T150. After obtaining the required variables, the data was analyzed using SPSS version 22. The frequency of acute complications in patients undergoing bronchoscopy was determined.

Results

The mean age of the patients was 42.91±14.99 years. The frequency of bronchospasm was 6 (2.7%), hypotension 2 (0.9%), Desaturation/Hypoxia 11 (5%), mild hemorrhage 18 (8.1%), moderate hemorrhage 3 (1.4%), severe hemorrhage 5 (2.3%), mild tachycardia 17 (7.7%), moderate tachycardia 2 (0.9%), severe tachycardia 3 (1.4%) and pulmonary edema 1 (0.5%).

Conclusion

Fiber-optic bronchoscopy demonstrated a low rate of acute complications, predominantly mild hemorrhage and desaturation, with severe adverse events being rare, indicating the procedure’s relative safety in tertiary care settings.

Keywords
Bronchoscopy Complications Therapeutic Indications Pneumonia

How to Cite This Article

Yaseen A, Farooqi RJ, Younas M, Rehman K, Ashraf S, Shahzad S. Frequency of Acute Complications after Fiber-Optic Bronchoscopy Procedure in a Tertiary Care Hospital. J Pak Soc Intern Med. 2026;7(1):28–32. doi:10.70302/jpsim.v7i1.2606

Conflict of Interest

All authors declare no competing interests.

Disclosed in accordance with ICMJE and COPE guidelines.

Funding

No specific funding was received for this research.

Funder information follows the Crossref Funder Registry standard.

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Reference list indexed for Google Scholar and ResearchGate. DOI links resolve via doi.org.

CC BY CC BY 4.0 This article is published under the Creative Commons Attribution 4.0 International License. May be shared and adapted with attribution. © 2026 Journal of Pakistan Society of Internal Medicine.
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