Revisión de veintiún enfermos con hemoptisis estudiados en un a？o, con énfasis en seis de hemoptisis masiva

during 2005 we admitted 27 patients with hemoptysis, six of them with massive hemoptysis (more that 600 ml in 48 h). the cause of bleeding was pulmonary tuberculosis in nine, bronchiectasias in four, tumors in three, aspergillomas in two and one of each due to bronchitis, pneumoniae and thoracic trauma. all had fiberoptic bronchoscopy; five had bronchial artery embolization (bae), four had pulmonary resection and one bronchial tamponade. two with massive bleeding died due to asphyxia before bae or surgery could be performed. the rest are alive and well. the management of hemoptysis depends on the amount of blood, the etiology and the conditions of the patient; therapeutic options available are medical treatment, tracheal intubation, interventional endoscopy, bae and surgery. patients with massive hemoptysis should be treated by board certified pulmonologists critical-care specialists.