Objective: Acute pulmonary hemorrhage can result from a variety of causes.
This report offers a diagnosis and treatment plan for children with acute,
life-threatening pulmonary hemorrhage resulting hom a variety of causes. Me
thods: Retrospective review of children with acute pulmonary hemorrhage car
ed for at a tertiary care children's hospital during from January 1, 1993 t
o September 1, 1999, Patients: Fourteen children were identified with life-
threatening pulmonary hemorrhage during the study period. Interventions: Br
onchoscopy was the keystone to diagnosis of pulmonary hem orrhage in this s
eries. All of the children underwent multiple procedures to stabilize the a
irway and control blood loss. These interventions included CO2 laser bronch
oscopy, Nd-YAG laser bronchoscopy, endoscopic balloon occlusion of a lobe o
r main bronchus, topical airway vasoconstrictors, endoscopic tumor excision
, transcatheter embolization of bronchial vessels, and lobectomy, Outcomes:
Three children died and 11 survived without neurological sequelae, Conclus
ions: Control of acute pulmonary hemorrhage is a difficult problem and ofte
n requires multiple procedures. Endoscopic control is usually required for
palliation until more definitive therapy can be undertaken.