Comparison of Bronchoalveolar Lavage and Mini-Bronchoalveolar Lavage in the Diagnosis of Pneumonia in Immunocompromised Patients

Abstract

In this study, we demonstrated a strong correlation between the isolation rates of bacteria and fungi in BAL and mini-BAL samples obtained from immunocompromised patients with pneumonia and respiratory failure. The data strongly support the use of mini-BAL sampling in such patients as a less-invasive, less-costly and simpler alternative to traditional BAL.