Increase of lung function usage bronchoscopy in COVID-19 patients: Three case series in Indonesian adult

BACKGROUND: COVID-19 is a virus that is spread by aerosol which can cause worsening of hypoxia and bronchoscopy procedures in COVID-19 patients may be considered. METHOD: The design of this study is a case series reported using the Preferred Reporting of Case Series in Surgery (PROCESS) 2020 Guideline. Data collection was carried out in the period January–April 2021. All participants underwent X-ray examination and blood gas analysis as well as signs of infection before and after bronchoscopy. RESULT: Three intubated patients with COVID-19 were confirmed from PCR nasopharyngeal swab present with worsening on chest X-ray. All three patients had a normal bronchial wall with some inflammation and thick mucus resulting in lung atelectasis and massive inhomogeneous opacity on chest X-ray. Patients showed improvement on chest X-ray after bronchoscopy intervention. CONCLUSION: The bronchoscopy procedure can improve the lung function of COVID-19 patients and if it is carried out by medical personnel who pay attention to universal precautions, it will minimize the occurrence of transmission.