SynthesisAnaesthesia2020
A systematic review and cost effectiveness analysis of reusable vs. single-use flexible bronchoscopes.
Synthesis in Anaesthesia, 2020. The graph could read no effect estimate from its abstract, so it casts no vote on the map. Cited by 38 papers, 1 of them a synthesis that pooled it.
What it found
Each row is one number read from the abstract, on the scale the paper reported it, with its interval. Left of the dashed line favours the treatment, right favours the comparator. Under each row is the sentence it came from. New to these charts? A ten-minute tutorial.
The abstract states no effect estimate the extractor could read, or names no intervention and outcome on the map, so this paper lights no cell and moves no belief. It is still indexed, cited and linked below.
The trial behind it
Trials whose registry record cites this paper, or whose number appears in the abstract. A trial that started after this paper was published is citing it as background, not reporting it.
Neither the registry nor the abstract names a trial number. If this is a trial report, that itself is worth knowing.
Who cites it
38 citing papers in PubMed, 1 synthesis or guideline pooled it, 101 citations in OpenAlex.
- The Cost of Flexible Bronchoscopes: A Systematic Review and Meta-analysis.PharmacoEconomics - open · 2022Pooled it
- Remimazolam-Remifentanil versus Propofol-Remifentanil for Spontaneous Ventilation During Fiberoptic Bronchoscopy: A Randomized Controlled Trial.Current medical science · 2025Trial
- Percutaneous dilatational tracheostomy with single use bronchoscopes versus reusable bronchoscopes - a prospective randomized trial (TraSUB).BMC anesthesiology · 2022Trial
- Comparison of a tube core and Magill forceps for nasotracheal intubation: a randomised controlled trial.Trials · 2021Trial
- Flexible Bronchoscopy in the Intensive Care Unit: Controversies, Clinical Applications, and the Expanding Role of Intensivists.Journal of clinical medicine · 2026Review
- Flexible bronchoscopy in mechanically ventilated critically ill patients: practical considerations and clinical applications - a narrative review.Anaesthesiology intensive therapy · 2026Review
- Single-Use Flexible Bronchoscopy: Advances in Technology and Applications.Diagnostics (Basel, Switzerland) · 2026Review
- Single-use flexible bronchoscopy with the Boston ScientificJournal of thoracic disease · 2025Article
- Cost of reusable gastrointestinal endoscopes to the NHS: findings from a micro-costing study.BMJ open gastroenterology · 2025Article
- Bronchoscopy increased the risk of postoperative pulmonary complications in patients undergoing lobectomy for lung cancer: a retrospective cohort study.Journal of thoracic disease · 2025Article
- Reprocessing status of flexible bronchoscopes in 202 intensive care units in Hubei province, China: a multicentre cross-sectional study.Antimicrobial resistance and infection control · 2025Article
- Single-use flexible bronchoscope evaluation for bronchoalveolar lavage.Journal of thoracic disease · 2025Article
- Single-use vs. reusable flexible bronchoscopes for airway management and in critical care: a narrative review.Anaesthesia · 2025Review
- Technological advances in single-use or disposable bronchoscopy: an evaluation of the Innovative AmbuJournal of thoracic disease · 2025Article
- Tumor detection on bronchoscopic images by unsupervised learning.Scientific reports · 2025Article
- Evaluation of a novel reprocessed bCPAP system on sepsis rates among preterm neonates with respiratory distress: a randomized controlled trial.Frontiers in pediatrics · 2025Article
- Costs involved in compliance with new endoscope reprocessing guidelines.Clinical endoscopy · 2024Article
- Brochoscopic Airway Clearance Therapy vs. Conventional Sputum Aspiration: The Future of Flexible Brochoscopes in Intensive Care Units?Diagnostics (Basel, Switzerland) · 2023Article
- Systematic Review and Cost-Consequence Analysis of Ambu aScope 5 Broncho Compared with Reusable Flexible Bronchoscopes: Insights from Two US University Hospitals and an Academic Institution.PharmacoEconomics - open · 2023Article
- Single-use flexible bronchoscopes vs traditional reusable flexible bronchoscopes: a prospective controlled study.BMC pulmonary medicine · 2023Article
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Authors and funding
5 authors at 4 institutions in 3 countries.
Funding
No grant is acknowledged in the PubMed record.
Abstract
The cost effectiveness of reusable vs. single-use flexible bronchoscopy in the peri-operative setting has yet to be determined. We therefore aimed to determine this and hypothesised that single-use flexible bronchoscopes are cost effective compared with reusable flexible bronchoscopes. We conducted a systematic review of the literature, seeking all reports of cross-contamination or infection following reusable bronchoscope use in any clinical setting. We calculated the incidence of these outcomes and then determined the cost per patient of treating clinical consequences of bronchoscope-induced infection. We also performed a micro-costing analysis to quantify the economics of reusable flexible bronchoscopes in the peri-operative setting from a high-throughput tertiary centre. This produced an accurate estimate of the cost per use of reusable flexible bronchoscopes. We then performed a cost effectiveness analysis, combining the data obtained from the systematic review and micro-costing analysis. We included 16 studies, with a reported incidence of cross-contamination or infection of 2.8%. In the micro-costing analysis, the total cost per use of a reusable flexible bronchoscope was calculated to be £249 sterling. The cost per use of a single-use flexible bronchoscope was £220 sterling. The cost effectiveness analysis demonstrated that reusable flexible bronchoscopes have a cost per patient use of £511 sterling due to the costs of treatment of infection. The findings from this study suggest benefits from the use of single-use flexible bronchoscopes in terms of cost effectiveness, cross-contamination and resource utilisation.
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What OpenQuestion holds
Registered trials
Read under generation 80e0d062 · epoch 390. Bibliography from PubMed, PubMed Central and OpenAlex; grants from NIH RePORTER; trial links from ClinicalTrials.gov; estimates, votes and beliefs from the OpenQuestion graph.