Effect of bronchoalveolar lavage on pneumonia in the elderly

Objective: To observe the effect of bronchoalveolar lavage (BAL) on the pneumonia in the elderly. Methods: Eighty elderly patients with pneumonia were divided into BAL group (40 cases) and control group (40 cases). In addition to the routine therapy of antibotics,nutritional support and acid-base balance,the BAL group was adopted to bronchoalveolar lavage (twice a week),and the control group was subjected to sputum aspiration and postural drainage. The clinical presentation and the changes of laboratory and radiological results were compared between the two groups. Results: The PaO₂ and the oxygenation index in the BAL group were significantly greater than that in the control group (P<0.01). The percentage of improvement rate in the BAL group (94.7%) was also significantly greater than that (77.5%) in the control group (P<0.05),iduration of lesions absorption,the course of antibiotic usage and resuming leukocyte natural times in the BAL group was significantly lower than that in the control group (P<0.01). Conclusions: The BAL may be an effective method for treatment of pneumonia in the elderly.