Etiology and an Integrated Management of Severe Hemoptysis Due to Pulmonary Tuberculosis

Abstract

Background: It is very important to enhance the therapeutic effect and prognosis of severe tuberculous hemoptysis after the determining of its etiological cause and the source of bleeding. The etiology and integrated curative effect of severe hemoptysis due to pulmonary tuberculosis among 112 inpatients were analyzed. Materials and Methods: The cause was retrospectively analysed. The integrated management effect after the follow-up of mean three years in 112 cases with severe hemoptysis being resulted from pulmonary tuberculosis from June 2008 to July 2012 was described. Active pulmonary tuberculosis ranked the first cause of lower respiratory tract bleeding (32/112, 28.5%), followed by old pulmonary tuberculosis (28/112, 25.0%), tuberculous bronchiectasis (25/112, 22.3%), purified tuberculous cavity (12/112, 10.7%), fungal infection in old pulmonary tuberculosis cavity (9/112, 7.1%), or broncholithiasis (6/112, 5.4%). Almost all suffers with severe hemoptysis were treated by an integrated management, including psychology, anticoagulants, vasoconstrictor agents. Etiological treatment including anti-tuberculosis and anti-infection was simultaneously or subsequently involved. Sixty-four inpatients with severe hemoptysis being failed to be cured by medical treatment were then received selective bronchial artery embolization. Four patients were received surgical wedge resection, lobectomy or pneumonectomy. The total cure rate added up to 98.2% after mean three years’ follow-up. The mortality was 1.8%. Conclusions: Active pulmonary tuberculosis was still responsible for the severe hemoptysis in the southeast region of China. Severe hemoptysis of pulmonary tuberculosis was also resulted from stable tuberculosis, tuberculous bronchiectasis, tuberculosis cavity, fungal infection, or broncholithiasis. Better clinical therapeutic effect could be attained by early etiological diagnosis and comprehensive treatment strategy.