Rapid Onsite Evaluation: A Prospective Observational Study of Endobronchial Ultrasound-Guided Transbronchial Needle Aspirates to Expedite Diagnosis.

Abstract

Biomedical scientists (BMS) can report sample adequacy during EBUS TBNA using rapid on-site evaluation (ROSE). Despite being able to report exfoliative samples such as pleural fluid cytology and bronchial washings, they are usually not permitted to offer a preliminary diagnostic impression of EBUS TBNA samples. Experienced biomedical scientists can provide a reliable diagnostic impression during ROSE for EBUS samples, with sensitivity and specificity comparable to cytopathologist reporting. This work represents an advance in biomedical science because it provides evidence a BMS can safely and accurately provide a real time cytopathological impression from EBUS TBNA sampling, which could positively impact patient pathways.