Abstract
OBJECTIVE: To explore the effectiveness of bronchoalveolar lavage (BAL) combined with high-dose ambroxol hydrochloride (HD-AH) in geriatric patients with severe pneumonia (SP) and respiratory failure (RF). METHODS: A retrospective analysis was conducted on 90 SP + RF patients. The control group (42 patients) received BAL with conventional-dose AH, while the observation group (48 patients) was treated with BAL + HD-AH. Clinical efficacy, symptom relief, postoperative recovery, pulmonary function, respiratory mechanics, arterial blood gas parameters, inflammatory markers, adverse events, incidence of multiple organ dysfunction syndrome (MODS), and overall mortality were compared. RESULTS: The BAL + HD-AH therapy group showed superior outcomes, including a significantly higher total effective rate, faster symptom relief, improved postoperative recovery, better pulmonary function, enhanced respiratory mechanics, optimized arterial blood gas parameters, reduced inflammatory markers, and lower risks of MODS and mortality (all P<0.05). The safety profiles were similar (P>0.05). CONCLUSIONS: The BAL + HD-AH regimen is both safe and effective for elderly SP + RF patients, accelerating rehabilitation, reducing inflammation, improving pulmonary function and respiratory mechanics, optimizing blood gas parameters, and lowering MODS and mortality risks.