Initial Experience of new thin flexible bronchoscope (EB-710P) in extraction of airway foreign bodies in paediatric population of 0-5 years

Rigid Bronchoscopy is considered the first choice of instrument for airway foreign body extraction in the paediatric population. New generation flexible bronchoscopes with lesser outer diameter are becoming increasingly available especially for the diagnosis of peripheral pulmonary nodules. In the recent times, Fujifilm has introduced a new thin scope with high definition - EB 710 P with an outer diameter of 4.1mm and working channel of 2.0mm. We describe our initial experience of this new thin bronchoscope in foreign body extraction in eight consecutive kids of age group 0-5 years Bronchoscopy was performed under general anesthesia using a Laryngeal Mask Airway (LMA), with the Fuji EB-710 P slim video bronchoscope (distal end diameter of 4.1mm, minimum instrument channel diameter of 2.0 mm, working length of 600mm, compatible with VP-7000 and EP-6000 processors). Instruments used included Boston Scientific Zero Tip Airway Retrieval Basket, 1.1 mm flexible Cryoprobe , Fogarty balloon catheter (size 4F). Results are depicted in Figure 1.0. <bold>Conclusion:</bold> Our paper demonstrates the utility of new thin flexible bronchoscope as a reliable and effective alternative for rigid bronchoscopy in paediatric age group of 0-5 years for the extraction of airway foreign bodies.