Recovery Expectations After Bronchoscopy

While not a guarantee for an individual's experience, this description may inform you on the usual recovery timeline after bronchoscopy.

 

Recovery after bronchoscopy (looking into the windpipe and the main airways of the lungs with a camera, using either a flexible scope or a straight metal tube called a rigid bronchoscope) is usually quick. Most patients go home the same day and return to normal activities by the next day. Recovery can take a little longer when biopsies were taken, an inhaled object was removed, or a narrowing of the airway was treated, and young children are sometimes observed overnight. Below is an overview by recovery phase.

Day of Surgery (Day 0–1)

Patients are monitored in the recovery area until fully awake and breathing comfortably. If the throat was numbed with a topical anesthetic spray, do not eat or drink until the numbness wears off, usually about 1–2 hours, to avoid choking; then start with sips of water before advancing to a regular diet. Common and expected symptoms include:

  • Sore throat and mild hoarseness

  • Cough, sometimes with small streaks of blood or blood-tinged mucus, especially after biopsies

  • Tiredness from anesthesia

Pain is usually mild and well controlled with acetaminophen and/or ibuprofen; opioids are rarely needed. Throat lozenges (for adults and older children), cool liquids, and humidified air can ease throat irritation. Because of anesthesia or sedation, adults should not drive, operate machinery, or make important decisions for the rest of the day, and should have a responsible adult with them.

First Few Days (Days 1–3)

Sore throat, hoarseness, and cough usually fade within 1–3 days. A low-grade fever within the first 24 hours is fairly common after bronchoscopy, especially when the airways were rinsed (lavage), and usually resolves on its own without antibiotics; fever that persists or climbs should be reported. Blood-streaked mucus after biopsies generally clears within 1–2 days. Most adults return to work and usual exercise within 1–2 days.

After rigid bronchoscopy, some patients also have jaw soreness, neck stiffness, or minor irritation of the lips or gums from the instrument, which settle within a few days. Rarely, a tooth can be chipped or loosened; let your surgeon know if you notice this.

First 1–2 Weeks

Most patients feel completely back to normal. If tissue samples or cultures were taken, results are usually available within about 1 week, although some cultures (such as for tuberculosis or fungus) take several weeks, and your surgeon will review them with you, often at a follow-up visit or by phone. If the bronchoscopy was part of evaluating or treating an airway narrowing, your surgeon will discuss whether further procedures or monitoring are needed.

Differences in Children

Children most often undergo bronchoscopy to evaluate noisy breathing, chronic cough, or a suspected inhaled foreign object. Because a child's airway is small, mild swelling after the procedure can cause a hoarse cry, a barky "croupy" cough, or soft noisy breathing (stridor) for several hours. For this reason, children may be given a dose of steroid medicine and observed until breathing is comfortable, and some, particularly infants or those who had an object removed, stay overnight. Most children are eating and playing normally by the next day.

When to Seek Urgent Attention

Seek emergency care or contact your surgeon promptly for:

  • Difficulty breathing, shortness of breath that is worse than before the procedure, or noisy breathing (stridor) that is increasing, especially in a child

  • Coughing up more than a few teaspoons of blood, or bright red blood that does not quickly lessen

  • Sudden sharp chest pain, particularly with shortness of breath. A collapsed lung (pneumothorax) is rare after diagnostic bronchoscopy and is mostly a concern when biopsies were taken deep in the lung.

  • Fever over 101°F (38.3°C) that lasts beyond 24 hours, or fever with worsening cough and chills (possible pneumonia)

  • Swelling of the neck or face, or a crackling feeling under the skin

  • Inability to swallow liquids or persistent vomiting

Serious complications after bronchoscopy are uncommon, and most occur within the first few hours while patients are still being monitored.