Therapeutic consequences of a diagnostic broncho-alveolar lavage in patients in the Intensive Care Unit due to COVID-19: a retrospective cohort study.
7 affiliations
- 1Department of Pulmonary Diseases, St. Antonius Hospital Nieuwegein, Nieuwegein, the Netherlands.
- 2Department of Intensive Care Medicine, St. Antonius Hospital Nieuwegein, Koekoekslaan 1, Nieuwegein, 3435CM, the Netherlands. [email protected].
- 3Department of Intensive Care Medicine, Maastricht University Medical Center+, Maastricht, the Netherlands. [email protected].
- 4Department of Pulmonary Diseases, University of Groningen, University Medical Center Groningen, Groningen, the Netherlands.
- 5Department of Pulmonary Diseases, Frisius Medical Center, Leeuwarden, The Netherlands.
- 6Department of Intensive Care Medicine, St. Antonius Hospital Nieuwegein, Koekoekslaan 1, Nieuwegein, 3435CM, the Netherlands.
- 7Department of Internal Medicine, St. Antonius Hospital Nieuwegein, Nieuwegein, The Netherlands.
Abstract
Background
When patients with coronavirus disease 2019 (COVID-19) on the Intensive Care Unit (ICU) were not improving or clinically deteriorated, bronchoscopy with broncho-alveolar lavage (BAL) was performed to rule out potentially treatable bacterial, viral and fungal superinfections. The purpose of this study was to investigate the therapeutic consequences of a diagnostic BAL in ICU patients with COVID-19.Methods
We performed a retrospective analysis in a cohort of patients with COVID-19 on the ICU of the St. Antonius Hospital Nieuwegein in the Netherlands. We compared the administration of antibiotics, antifungal therapy and prednisolone on the day of the BAL and three days later. We hypothesized that a diagnostic BAL did not result in significant changes in therapeutic management.Results
In 73 ICU-patients with COVID-19 who underwent a BAL, the results led to changes in medication prescription in 62% (p < 0.01) of patients. In these patients, the antibiotic management changed in 36% (p < 0.01), the antifungal management in 21% (p < 0.01) and the prednisolone management in 34% (p < 0.01) of the patients.Conclusions
In ICU-patients who did not improve and therefore underwent a BAL, there was a significant change in antibiotics, antifungal or prednisolone prescriptions in 62% of the patients.
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BibTeX
@article{welling2026therapeutic,
title = {{Therapeutic consequences of a diagnostic broncho-alveolar lavage in patients in the Intensive Care Unit due to COVID-19: a retrospective cohort study.}},
author = {Hartger I Welling and Thom J Wilbers and Jorrit B A Welling and C Tji Gan and Franz M N H Schramel and Hazra S Moeniralam},
journal = {BMC pulmonary medicine},
year = {2026},
month = jul,
doi = {10.1186/s12890-026-04525-3},
url = {https://europepmc.org/article/MED/42907988},
note = {CC BY-NC-ND},
}
RIS
TY - JOUR
TI - Therapeutic consequences of a diagnostic broncho-alveolar lavage in patients in the Intensive Care Unit due to COVID-19: a retrospective cohort study.
AU - Hartger I Welling
AU - Thom J Wilbers
AU - Jorrit B A Welling
AU - C Tji Gan
AU - Franz M N H Schramel
AU - Hazra S Moeniralam
PY - 2026
DA - 2026/07/01
JO - BMC pulmonary medicine
DO - 10.1186/s12890-026-04525-3
UR - https://europepmc.org/article/MED/42907988
AB - Background When patients with coronavirus disease 2019 (COVID-19) on the Intensive Care Unit (ICU) were not improving or clinically deteriorated, bronchoscopy with broncho-alveolar lavage (BAL) was performed to rule out potentially treatable bacterial, viral and fungal superinfections. The purpose of this study was to investigate the therapeutic consequences of a diagnostic BAL in ICU patients with COVID-19.Methods We performed a retrospective analysis in a cohort of patients with COVID-19 on the ICU of the St. Antonius Hospital Nieuwegein in the Netherlands. We compared the administration of antibiotics, antifungal therapy and prednisolone on the day of the BAL and three days later. We hypothesized that a diagnostic BAL did not result in significant changes in therapeutic management.Results In 73 ICU-patients with COVID-19 who underwent a BAL, the results led to changes in medication prescription in 62% (p < 0.01) of patients. In these patients, the antibiotic management changed in 36% (p < 0.01), the antifungal management in 21% (p < 0.01) and the prednisolone management in 34% (p < 0.01) of the patients.Conclusions In ICU-patients who did not improve and therefore underwent a BAL, there was a significant change in antibiotics, antifungal or prednisolone prescriptions in 62% of the patients.
SN - 1471-2466
ER -