AN APPROACH TO LOCAL ANESTHESIA AT FLEXIBLE BRONCHOSCOPY
Background . At the present, Lidocaine is the leading and the safest local anesthetic for flexible bronchoscopy. However, there are possible systemic complications that necessitate the search for a more rational application scheme. Materials and methods . The efficacy and safety of the author's method of local anesthesia were studied based on the results of 22273 flexible bronchoscopies (100.00 %). The method involves the use of a 5 % lidocaine solution applied to irrigate the vocal folds, carina bifurcation of the trachea and the upper lobes spurs. Results . In all cases, reliable anesthesia of the vocal folds was achieved rather quickly: a bronchoscope was carried out through the glottis with virtually no cough. No medical complications due to the use of lidocaine in the declared dosage were noted. Conclusions . The proposed approach to local anesthesia provides reliable suppression of the cough reflex when passing through tussogenic zones with a bronchoscope and, at the same time, does not cause any systemic complications.