Precise Bronchoscopy for Precise Treatment

As a leading provider of pulmonary disease care for Louisville and Southern Indiana patients, Norton Pulmonary Specialists offers a full range of testing options, including bronchoscopy.

The board-certified and fellowship-trained specialists at Norton Pulmonary Specialists use bronchoscopy regularly to look for problems inside your lungs. The procedure helps us diagnose and treat various lung conditions, obtain tissue and fluid samples, investigate a persistent cough, retrieve a foreign object and more.

A biopsy may be performed during the bronchoscopy, allowing us to test for polyps, infections and cancers.

With their experience and expertise, the pulmonologists at Norton Pulmonary Specialists can use data from this and other tests to give you a precise diagnosis and customized treatment plan.

What to Expect During a Bronchoscopy

We’ll numb your throat and possibly your nose to lessen the gagging and coughing reflex as the bronchoscope is placed in your nose or mouth. You’ll be given intravenous medicine to help you relax. You’ll be awake, but likely will feel sleepy.

The bronchoscope itself is a thin tube with a tiny camera. We’ll gently thread the flexible bronchoscope past your vocal cords and into the airways of your respiratory system.

The procedure may be uncomfortable, but shouldn’t hurt. Our team will make you as comfortable as possible.

During the procedure, your physician can send tools through the bronchoscope to retrieve tissue and fluid samples.

The procedure itself takes about 30 to 60 minutes. The entire time from prep through recovery will take about four hours.

Preparing for Your Bronchoscopy

You’ll need to stop taking blood-thinning medicine several days before the procedure. You also won’t be able to eat or drink for four to eight hours before the bronchoscopy.

You’ll need a friend or family member to drive you home afterward. Medications used during the procedure will remain in your system and make driving unsafe.

Care That’s Convenient for You

• Norton Pulmonary Specialists is recognized by the Pulmonary Hypertension Association as an accredited Pulmonary Hypertension Care Center — the only one in Kentucky. This distinction highlights our physicians’ expertise in pulmonary hypertension, especially pulmonary arterial hypertension, and their commitment to improving care and outcomes for patients with this life-threatening condition.
• Our staff includes interventional pulmonologists who are trained and experienced in minimally invasive diagnostics and treatment, including robotic-assisted bronchoscopy, meaning you’ll have access to advanced technology for your care.
• We have seven convenient Louisville-area locations: Northeastern Louisville, downtown Louisville, Newburg, Pleasure Ridge Park and Mount Washington, Kentucky; in Southern Indiana, Jeffersonville and Scottsburg.
• We provide pulmonary care and respiratory management of critical care patients at Norton Audubon Hospital, Norton Brownsboro Hospital and Norton Hospital.
• Norton Healthcare’s pulmonary rehabilitation program has three locations in Louisville and is certified by the American Association of Cardiovascular and Pulmonary Rehabilitation.
• We work as a team with referring physicians, including pediatricians.
• Medicare, Medicaid and most major commercial insurance plans are accepted.

About Norton Pulmonary Specialists

The board-certified and fellowship-trained physicians with Norton Pulmonary Specialists, formerly Chest Medicine Associates and Kentuckiana Pulmonary Associates, are leaders in caring for Louisville and Southern Indiana patients with asthma, COPD, emphysema and other lung diseases.

• Norton Healthcare is recognized by U.S. News & World Report on its “Best Hospitals” list as No. 1 in the Louisville area, with a “high performing” rating in chronic obstructive pulmonary disease (COPD) through Norton Pulmonary Specialists.  
• Norton Pulmonary Specialists is recognized by the Pulmonary Hypertension Association as an accredited Pulmonary Hypertension Care Center — the only one in Kentucky. This distinction highlights our physicians’ expertise in pulmonary hypertension, especially pulmonary arterial hypertension, and their commitment to improving care and outcomes for patients with this life-threatening condition.
• Our staff includes interventional pulmonologists who are trained and experienced in minimally invasive diagnostics and treatment, including robotic-assisted bronchoscopy, meaning you’ll have access to advanced technology for your care.
• We have seven convenient Louisville-area locations: Northeastern Louisville, downtown Louisville, Newburg, Pleasure Ridge Park and Mount Washington, Kentucky; in Southern Indiana, Jeffersonville and Scottsburg.
• We provide pulmonary care and respiratory management of critical care patients at Norton Audubon Hospital, Norton Brownsboro Hospital and Norton Hospital.
• Norton Healthcare’s pulmonary rehabilitation program has three locations in Louisville and is certified by the American Association of Cardiovascular and Pulmonary Rehabilitation.
• We work as a team with referring physicians, including pediatricians.
• Medicare, Medicaid and most major commercial insurance plans are accepted.
• Communicate with your provider, manage appointments, refill prescriptions and more anytime from a computer or mobile device with a free Norton MyChart account.