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Background: Hemorrhage is often observed during flexible bronchoscopy. However, the assessment of hemorrhage severity during bronchoscopy is difficult.

Objective: We aimed to assess a visual estimate (VAS) as a method to estimate the severity of bronchial bleeding during bronchoscopy.

Methods: This registered cross-sectional single centre study (NTR7405) included patients undergoing bronchoscopy from July 2018 to December 2018. Physicians who performed the bronchoscopy gave a visual estimate of the amount of hemorrhage in a grade from 0 (none) till 10 (severe), reported procedure time and the measured volume of blood loss in ml when suction was used. The VAS was categorized into no (VAS 0), minimal (VAS 1) and moderate or severe hemorrhage (VAS ≥2). Differences in procedure time and measured blood loss between the groups were assessed using the Kruskal Wallis test.

Results: 230 …