Bacteremic Pneumonia After Fiberoptic Bronchoscopy

Bacteremic pneumococcal pneumonia developed in a 52-year-old man within 24 hours of fiberoptic bronchoscopy with transbronchial biopsy. The patient recovered with appropriate treatment. Febrile episodes following flexible fiberoptic bronchoscopy, even when associated with new parenchymal infiltrates on chest radiogram, have been shown to resolve in most cases without treatment. This report is a reminder that, on occasion, such occurrences may represent life-threatening infections.