Pulmonary alveolar proteinosis (PAP) is a rare disease in infancy, resulting from abnormalities of surfactant production or decreased catabolism of surfactant. The only effective treatment of the congenital form of PAP is bronchoalveolar lavage. A 4-month-old boy with severe PAP received bilateral partial lung lavage on two occasions resulting in clinical improvement. We performed partial lung lavage using a 3.1 mm flexible fibreoptic bronchoscope introduced through a 4.0 mm tracheal tube under general anaesthesia. The infant did not require extra-corporeal oxygenation during the procedure or postoperative ventilation. This method may offer a feasible option for performing lavage in a resource constrained environment.
CITATION STYLE
Hodges, O., Zar, H. J., Mamathuba, R., & Thomas, J. (2010). Bilateral partial lung lavage in an infant with pulmonary alveolar proteinosis. British Journal of Anaesthesia, 104(2), 228–230. https://doi.org/10.1093/bja/aep371
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