Assessment of the approaches of pulmonologists to sedation in bronchoscopic procedures in Turkey : A survey study

BACKGROUND: Sedation is recommended during fiberoptic bronchoscopy, which is a common procedure in clinical pulmonary practice. However, there is no consensus or a standard approach globally. The present study aimed to assess the approaches of pulmonologists to sedation before bronchoscopic procedures in Turkey. MATERIALS AND METHODS: The study is designed as a cross-sectional study, based on survey-generated data. Pulmonologists working in Turkey were sent a 23-item survey via E-mail. The recipients were sent three reminders to complete the survey, and the responses were analyzed. The data analysis was carried out using the Statistical Package for the Social Sciences for Windows 15.0 package program. RESULTS: A total of 79 pulmonologists participated in the survey, with a mean age of 43.8 ± 7.7 years. Among the respondents, 92.4% stated that they applied sedation before bronchoscopic procedures. Of the total, 92% of the respondents stated that they used midazolam for sedation, while 20% used propofol, 18.7% used fentanyl and 9% used diazepam. All of the respondents reported using local anesthesia before the bronchoscopic procedure, with lidocaine being preferred by all. CONCLUSIONS: It was determined that most of the pulmonologists applied sedation during bronchoscopy usually in the form of mild-to-moderate sedation, with midazolam being the preferred medication. Of the respondents, 75% believed that the applied sedation was sufficient. Surveys like this could play a role in improving the implementation and application of international guidelines in Turkey.