Pilot Study to Evaluate the Role of EBUS in the Diagnosis of Acute PE in Critically Ill Patients

"An Olympus EBUS bronchoscope will be used for all endobronchial ultrasound examinations. This scope has a 6.9 mm outer diameter, a 2.7 mm working channel and 30-degree oblique forward-viewing optics. A 12 MHz linear ultrasound transducer with a maximum penetration of 50 mm will be linked to a processor (Olympus EU-ME2) that allows an integrated power Doppler mode to visualize the vascular blood flow.~Bronchoscopy will be introduced through the adaptor connected to the endotracheal tube, in patients who are already under general anesthesia and on mechanical ventilation. The bronchoscope will be advanced into the airways and endobronchial ultrasound of the main pulmonary artery (PA) and lobar branches will be performed in a standardized fashion. At the completion of the imaging the EBUS bronchoscope will be withdrawn."