Why Have a Standing Sputum Analysis Order at a Lab?

Being a person who loves to learn, I am lucky to have a pulmonologist who is a natural teacher. Whenever I visit her office, I make sure to bring a short list of questions for her.

This time, my visit coincided with a Drs. Chalmers and Blasi’s bronchiectasis webinar I was listening to on my phone. I missed some of it because I was being processed and prepped for my lung CT scan, but I came away with another question for my doctor– this one about Pseudomonas.

It seems like almost every talk on bronchiectasis lately includes the role of Pseudomonas. The more I listen, the more I hear a consensus that this bug should be cleared ASAP. Similar to NTM bacteria, Pseudomonas bacteria clump together in a biofilm, making it difficult to eradicate. On top of that, it can be antibiotic resistant.

I asked my doctor what her approach would be were I to grow Pseudomonas in my sputum. Would I need to submit another culture before treatment? “No,” she said, “We would treat it right away.” This was eye-opening as Dr Blasi mentioned that sometimes we can grow this bug without symptoms of infection such as increased cough, more mucus and a change in mucus color.

So, although some of us only see our pulmonologist once a year, there might be good reason to be proactive and submit sputum samples more regularly. Discuss this with your medical team and come up with a plan. It will be important to have a standing order at a lab so you can submit your sample without needing to contact your doctor. This process might vary depending on your health plan and your lab.

Educate yourself. Talk to your medical team. Make a plan. Stay healthy. Live well with bronchiectasis.

#bronchiectasis #pseudomonas #mucus #sputum