Effects of bronchoscopic alveolar lavage-assisted mechanical ventilation on postoperative pulmonary infection and inflammatory factors in patients undergoing lung cancer surgery

INTRODUCTION: Patients undergoing lung cancer (LC) surgery often develop pulmonary infection (PI) due to poor sputum excretion ability leading to accumulation of secretions. Bronchoalveolar lavage (BAL) during fiberoptic bronchoscopy can be used to clear respiratory secretions and serve as a vehicle to locally deliver antibiotics that fight infection. AIM: This study explored the clinical efficacy of BAL‑assisted mechanical ventilation (MV) in patients with postoperative PI and its influence on inflammatory parameters. MATERIALS AND METHODS: A total of 90 LC patients with postoperative PI were enrolled and divided into an MV group (n = 45) and a BAL‑assisted MV group (n = 45). Therapeutic effects, respiratory mechanics, lung function parameters, blood gas indices, and levels of inflammatory parameters in peripheral blood were compared between the groups. RESULTS: <0.05). CONCLUSIONS: BAL‑assisted MV can achieve better results in treating postoperative PI than MV alone, effectively improving respiratory function and reducing systemic inflammatory response.