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Laser Bronchoscopy Only 11.3 percent (98) of the 871 respondents were involved in laser bronchoscopy. Of these, 38.8 percent (38) used the FFB exclusively, 18.4 percent (18) used only the rigid bronchoscope, 42.8 percent (42) used each at some point in their practice, and one did not provide an answer. The Nd:YAG laser was used by 83.7 percent (82) of the 98 respondents; the argon dye laser, by 4.1 percent (4); the C02 laser, by 3.1 percent (3); and other types of lasers, by the rest. Comments: There are several possible reasons why only a small number of pulmonary specialists are involved in laser bronchoscopy: laser procedures require special technical skills and specially trained personnel; the equipment required is expensive and not cost-effective unless a large number of laser procedures are performed; and adequate facilities for training in laser bronchoscopy are lacking. As a result, many patients are referred to larger centers which specialize in this procedure. More than one third of the bronchoscopists reported using the FFB exclusively. Indications When the respondents were asked to list the five most common indications for bronchoscopy in their practice, several entities were mentioned (Table 7). Table 7— The Five Most Common Indications for Bronchoscopy

Indications	Respondents, % (n)
Mass/nodule/suspicious lesion/cancer	96.4 (840)
Hemoptysis/bleeding	81.1 (706)
Pneumonia/infection	65.1 (567)
Diffuse/interstitial disease in	62.1 (541)
nonimmunocompromised patient
Therapeutic bronchoscopy for lobar	56.4 (491)
or segmental atelectasis
Cough/wheeze	23.4 (204)
Immunocompromised patient	15.4 (134)
AIDS/HIV positive	14.7 (128)
Trachea/stridor	2.2 (19)
ICU/ventilator	1.5 (13)
Other!	4.7 (41)