Bronchial washings (right and left) in same container?

[time to move on]

When doing bronchial washings on right and left lungs, should these be sent to Pathology as separate specimens, labeled right and left?

Is it ever ok to send them in the same one?

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[Thrombus]

When doing bronchial washings on right and left lungs, should these be sent to Pathology as separate specimens, labeled right and left?

Is it ever ok to send them in the same one?

Garbage in, garbage out

 

[WEBB PINKERTON]

Most of the time they are submitted separately in my experience but I have seen them submitted in the same container a few times.

 

[gbwillner]

Putting them in the same container makes no sense.

 

[time to move on]

Most of the time they are submitted separately in my experience but I have seen them submitted in the same container a few times.

This has been my experience as well...until now

 

[time to move on]

Putting them in the same container makes no sense.

I completely agree with you!.

Thanks to both of you for your input.

 

[WEBB PINKERTON]

The pulmonologist who was submitting them in the same container was a locum.

Guy was always asking for weird stuff as well, like hemosiderin-laden macrophages percentage etc. He was one of those really really old locums.

 

[icpshootyz]

When doing bronchial washings on right and left lungs, should these be sent to Pathology as separate specimens, labeled right and left?

Is it ever ok to send them in the same one?

I guess if you don't care if you find malignant cells and have no idea what side they came from. I guess if they're looking for something infectious/inflammatory maybe it doesn't matter.

 

[time to move on]

I guess if you don't care if you find malignant cells and have no idea what side they came from. I guess if they're looking for something infectious/inflammatory maybe it doesn't matter.

Great point. I do think they shouldn't make that kind of assumption though. Pathologists always find surprises.

 

[yaah]

I have seen combined but usually in cases where they are trying to maximize culture yield. The path might be secondary.

 

[LADoc00]

I have never seen them separated. Interesting..I get "bronchial washings" as 1 spec and "bronchial aspirate" as 2nd spec.