Dolphin doing well after therapeutic bronchoscopy

In a first such collaborative effort between human and veterinary medicine, a 29-year-old bottlenose dolphin recently underwent therapeutic bronchoscopy to treat airway narrowing that was interfering with her breathing.

The dolphin, a therapy animal for mentally and physically challenged children at Island Dolphin Care in Key Largo, Florida, is doing well one year after the procedure.

"Many of the medical treatments and procedures used in humans were developed and tested in animals, and many are used in the care of both," said lead author Andrew Haas from Hospital of the University of Pennsylvania.

"Our case is notable not only because of the animal involved but also for the cross-disciplinary collaboration among specialists from far-ranging disciplines," Haas added.

The dolphin had developed a cough (chuffing) which initially responded to antifungal treatment, but she then developed a prolonged blowhole opening time during swimming.

She was transported to a local hospital for diagnosis where a computed tomography scan and fiberoptic bronchoscopy confirmed the presence of focal stenoses of the right mainstem bronchus and the tracheal bronchus.

The veterinary team consulted an interventional pulmonology team with experience in complex human airway disorders.

As a human flexible bronchoscope was too short for use in the dolphin's airway, a gastroscope was used to visualise the stenoses.

Balloon dilation was performed, and the dolphin's respiratory cycle improved and she returned to her normal behaviour.

"While the use of bronchoscopy in marine animals has been reported, ours is the first known case of therapeutic bronchoscopy performed in such a case," said Haas.

The report was published in the journal Annals of the American Thoracic Society.