PT  - JOURNAL ARTICLE
AU  - Zurick, NJ
AU  - Henderson, AJ
AU  - Langton-Hewer, SC
TI  - A method for bronchoscopic evaluation of salivary aspiration in a disabled child
AID  - 10.1034/j.1399-3003.2000.15b34.x
DP  - 2000 Feb 01
TA  - European Respiratory Journal
PG  - 424--425
VI  - 15
IP  - 2
4099  - http://erj.ersjournals.com/content/15/2/424.short
4100  - http://erj.ersjournals.com/content/15/2/424.full
SO  - Eur Respir J2000 Feb 01; 15
AB  - Chronic aspiration is a cause of life-threatening respiratory complications and repeated hospital admissions, particularly in children with neurological disabilities. Determining the source of aspiration is important for optimizing treatment. This report describes a simple technique to demonstrate salivary aspiration during fibreoptic bronchoscopy. A child with a history of recurrent pneumonia was given methylene blue orally 2 h prior to fibreoptic bronchoscopy. Bronchoscopy was carried out through a laryngeal mask airway under inhalational anaesthesia. The stained saliva was seen to be pooling in the valleculae and then running down the trachea into the bronchi, confirming salivary aspiration.