Factors limiting the utility of bronchoalveolar lavage in the diagnosis of COVID-19. Issue 5 (5th November 2020)

• Record Type: Journal Article
• Authors: Aggarwal, Deepak; Saini, Varinder
• Is Part Of: European respiratory journal. Volume 56:Issue 5(2020)
• Publication Date: 2020-11-05
• Subjects: Respiratory organs -- Diseases -- Periodicals; Respiration -- Periodicals; 616.2
• DOI: 10.1183/13993003.03116-2020
• Languages: English
• ISSNs: 0903-1936

Abstract

We read with interest study by Geri et al. [1], in which the authors have demonstrated a strong agreement between negative nasopharyngeal (NPs)/nasal (Ns) swab and bronchoalveolar lavage (BAL) real-time reverse transcriptase-polymerase chain reaction (rRT-PCR) in the diagnosis of coronavirus disease 2019 (COVID-19) among hospitalised patients. The study findings contradicted earlier reports [2] and suggested a limited utility of BAL. However, the results need to be interpreted comprehensively before drawing any conclusion. Bronchoalveolar lavage has a specific place in the diagnosis of COVID-19. The clinical performance of BAL rRt-PCR is dynamic in nature and depends on different clinical and demographic factors. https://bit.ly/3aZUAPB