• Albert Faro, Robert E Wood, Michael S Schechter, Albin B Leong, Eric Wittkugel, Kathy Abode, James F Chmiel, Cori Daines, Stephanie Davis, Ernst Eber, Charles Huddleston, Todd Kilbaugh, Geoffrey Kurland, Fabio Midulla, David Molter, Gregory S Montgomery, George Retsch-Bogart, Michael J Rutter, Gary Visner, Stephen A Walczak, Thomas W Ferkol, Peter H Michelson, and American Thoracic Society Ad Hoc Committee on Flexible Airway Endoscopy in Children.
• Am. J. Respir. Crit. Care Med. 2015 May 1; 191 (9): 1066-80.

BackgroundFlexible airway endoscopy (FAE) is an accepted and frequently performed procedure in the evaluation of children with known or suspected airway and lung parenchymal disorders. However, published technical standards on how to perform FAE in children are lacking.MethodsThe American Thoracic Society (ATS) approved the formation of a multidisciplinary committee to delineate technical standards for performing FAE in children. The committee completed a pragmatic synthesis of the evidence and used the evidence synthesis to answer clinically relevant questions.ResultsThere is a paucity of randomized controlled trials in pediatric FAE. The committee developed recommendations based predominantly on the collective clinical experience of our committee members highlighting the importance of FAE-specific airway management techniques and anesthesia, establishing suggested competencies for the bronchoscopist in training, and defining areas deserving further investigation.ConclusionsThese ATS-sponsored technical standards describe the equipment, personnel, competencies, and special procedures associated with FAE in children.

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