Hemoptysis is a common clinical symptom, responsible for 11% of admission to the hospital chest service. Correct diagnosis, accurate localization of the bleeding source and proper management are imperative to reduce the risk of massive hemoptysis. We performed the study to define the optimal time of fiberoptic bronchoscopy in 63 patients with hemoptysis admitted to Kyung Hee University Hospital between Aug 1989 and Aug1992.

Retrospective analysis of medical records concerning the cause, amount, duration of hemoptysis and the timing of fiberoptic bronchoscopy in 63(M:F=36:27) patients.

1) The main causes of hemoptysis were pulmonary tuberculosis(52.4%) bronchiectasis(27.0%) and lung cancer(11.1%). 2) The bleeding sites were localized in 26 Patients(41.3%). 3) The rates of localization of bleeding site were not related to the amount and duration of hemoptysis. 4) The rates of localization of bleeding site were 61.8%(21/34) during hemoptysis,18.2%(122) within 24hr after resolution of hemoptysis, 14.3%(1/7) thereafter.

Early bronchoscopy, especially during hemoptysis may show higher rates of successful localization than delayed bronchoscopy.