Safety of Robotic-Assisted Bronchoscopy for Pulmonary Lesions in Patients With Pulmonary Hypertension on Vasodilator Therapy: A Single-Centre Experience
Abstract
Lung biopsy in patients with pulmonary arterial hypertension (PH) poses a diagnostic challenge due to potential increased procedure-related risks. This case series describes a single institution's experience using shape-sensing robotic-assisted bronchoscopy (ssRAB) with multi-modality imaging to biopsy eight pulmonary lesions in eight patients with haemodynamically confirmed PH receiving pulmonary vasodilator therapy. A specific diagnosis was obtained for seven pulmonary lesions. No complications, including pneumothorax, bleeding, respiratory failure or escalation of care, were observed, and all patients were safely discharged on the day of the procedure. This study highlights that ssRAB, when conducted with advanced imaging techniques and supported by a multidisciplinary team, appears to be a safe and effective diagnostic approach for PH patients on pulmonary vasodilator therapy when evaluating suspicious lung lesions. Patient selection should be individualized, and procedures should be performed at specialized centres equipped with expertise in the peri-procedural management of PH as well as complex bronchoscopy.
How strong is the evidence?
Evidence Hub reads this as a case series, done in people. Its evidence level is 5 of 5 (Very low · case / narrative / animal / in vitro / in silico). Case reports, narrative reviews, and animal, cell or computer-model studies give the weakest evidence for human health.
Read the paper
Related studies
- Protective effects of tadalafil and N-acetyl cysteine therapy on cisplatin-induced testicular toxicity
- The Use of Generative AI for Scientific Literature Searches for Systematic Reviews: ChatGPT and Microsoft Bing AI Performance Evaluation
- Sildenafil as a Candidate Drug for Alzheimer’s Disease: Real-World Patient Data Observation and Mechanistic Observations from Patient-Induced Pluripotent Stem Cell-Derived Neurons
- Ozone-modified properties of pumpkin seed oil as anti-H. pylori, anticancer, anti-diabetic and anti-obesity agent
- Effectiveness of Low-Intensity Extracorporeal Shock Wave Therapy in Erectile Dysfunction: An Analysis of Sexual Function and Penile Hardness at Erection: An Umbrella Review
- Molecular Docking of Silymarin as a Ligand for Aromatase Enzyme and HIV-1 Reverse Transcriptase Using Molegro Virtual Docker
Go deeper in Evidence Hub
Evidence Hub adds a study data sheet (design, sample size, evidence level, key numbers), an AI summary and a chat grounded in the paper's text.