Journal des maladies et soins respiratoires cliniques : accès libre

An Autopsy Case of Asphyxia Caused by Uncontrolled Hemorrhage Following Transbronchial Lung Biopsy

Abstract

Mayumi Watanabe, Kana Unuma*, Yohsuke Makino, Ayumi Komatsu, Atsushi Yamada, Hisashi Nagai, and Koichi Uemura

Bronchoscopy is an important technique and flexible bronchoscopy procedures are considered comparatively safe. Notwithstanding, we here describe a woman who died of asphyxia caused uncontrolled hemorrhage following transbronchial lung biopsy. A medico-legal autopsy disclosed a small wound with clotted blood at the point of the transbronchial lung biopsy. The right lung was filled with a large volume of blood. Other organs showed no significant findings. Thus, this woman died from asphyxia associated with uncontrolled hemorrhage from the site of a transbronchial lung biopsy. We believe that our case is very instructive for safety bronchoscopy procedures.