Abstract
Bronchoalveolar lavage (BAL) is a key clinical and research tool in lung transplantation (LTx). However, BAL collection and processing are not standardized across LTx centers. This International Society for Heart and Lung Transplantation–supported consensus document on BAL standardization aims to clarify definitions and propose common approaches to improve clinical and research practice standards. The following 9 areas are covered: (1) bronchoscopy procedure and BAL collection, (2) sample handling, (3) sample processing for microbiology, (4) cytology, (5) research, (6) microbiome, (7) sample inventory/tracking, (8) donor bronchoscopy, and (9) pediatric considerations. This consensus document aims to harmonize clinical and research practices for BAL collection and processing in LTx. The overarching goal is to enhance standardization and multicenter collaboration within the international LTx community and enable improvement and development of new BAL-based diagnostics.
| Original language | English (US) |
|---|---|
| Pages (from-to) | 1171-1190 |
| Number of pages | 20 |
| Journal | Journal of Heart and Lung Transplantation |
| Volume | 39 |
| Issue number | 11 |
| DOIs | |
| State | Published - Nov 2020 |
Funding
No specific funding was available for this project. During this project, Angela Koutsokera received grants from the Swiss National Science Foundation (grants P300PB_164733 and P3P3PB_164734/1), the University Hospital of Lausanne (Fond de Perfectionnement), the Ligue Pulmonaire Suisse (grant 2018-16), and the University of Lausanne (grant Pépinière). The funding sources for each workforce member had no role in study design, data collection, data analysis, or the writing of the report.
Keywords
- bronchial wash
- bronchoalveolar lavage
- donor bronchoscopy
- lung transplantation
- methodology
- pediatric bronchoscopy
- standardization
ASJC Scopus subject areas
- Cardiology and Cardiovascular Medicine
- Transplantation
- Pulmonary and Respiratory Medicine
- Surgery