LAUSR

dear editor, Anaesthesia for emergency life­ saving surgery can pose challenges such as limited time for evaluation and preparation of the patient, hae­ modynamic instability, and fluid/elec­ trolyte imbalance, and it is associated with high morbidity and mortality [1]. Usually, these patients are at high risk of aspiration due to inadequate fasting intervals. despite adequate precautions, aspiration cannot be prevented in some cases. Aspiration is the inhalation of either oropharyn­ geal or gastric contents into the larynx and lungs [2]. the consequences are determined by the quantity and na­ ture of the material aspirated, as well as the host’s response. the 3 syn­ dromes associated with aspiration are chemical pneumonitis, bacterial pneumonia, and airway obstruction. the patient may have one or more of these, depending on the type of as­ pirate [2]. Aspiration of gastric acidic content can lead to chemical pneu­ monitis (Mendelson syndrome), while aspiration of bacteria from oral and pharyngeal areas can add to infec­ tion, and macro aspiration of gastric contents can lead to airway obstruc­ tion [3]. Aspiration pneumonia is as­ sociated with higher mortality than other forms of community­acquired pneumonias (29.4% vs. 11.6%) [4]. Bronchoalveolar lavage (BAL) is a mini­ mally invasive procedure that involves instillation of sterile normal saline into a subsegment of the lung, followed by suction and collection of the instil­ lation for analysis. in the context of DOI: https://doi.org/10.5114/ait.2022.123136