These are highly complex procedures that allow the extraction of tumors and other diagnostic and therapeutic actions in the airways.
In 2019, the Respiratory Endoscopy Unit performed 235 such interventions, according to data from the Catalan Society of Pneumology.
The high percentage of rigid bronchoscopies carried out by the specialized unit of the Pulmonology Service of Bellvitge Hospital is the result of the expertise accumulated in the last three decades, the training of its medical and nursing professionals and the entry into operation of the new Digestive and Respiratory Endoscopy Unit two years ago. During 2020, despite the pandemic, the level of activity in Bellvitge Hospital has remained very similar to that of the previous year in interventional bronchoscopies.
The use of the rigid bronchoscope allows the treatment of tumors that obstruct the main airways (trachea and main bronchi). It is a tubular instrument, hollow inside and finished in a beveled tip that facilitates the dilation and unclogging of areas of the upper respiratory tract affected by any pathology. Different instruments can be passed through it, which are used to apply various therapeutic procedures, such as laser fibers; the use of heat generated by an electric current; cryotherapy (freezing) or placement of tracheobronchial prostheses, among others. Interventional bronchoscopy procedures are more complex than those used in flexible bronchoscopy, a technique commonly performed by pulmonologists.
"Interventional bronchoscopy is an essential tool in the algorithm of treatment of neoplasms with involvement of the main airway, both as a complement to other oncological therapies or as a palliative treatment," according to Dr. . Rosa López, one of the bronchoscopists in the unit, together with Drs. Marta Díez and Noelia Cubero. As a reference center in interventional pulmonology, the Respiratory Endoscopy Unit of Bellvitge Hospital regularly hosts training stays for professionals from centers throughout the state.