Cystic Fibrosis

[Guest]

Our daughter with CF was recently admitted due to an asthma flare up and a positive RSV test. The x rays showed some mucus streaking and a bronchoscopy done while she was getting ear tubes found a large mucus plug in the middle right lobe. She tested negative for RSV two days later.

The throat and plug cultures all came back negative after 5 days. Our daughter has cultured psuedomonas aerginosa once and Stentrophomonas maltophilia once.

The pulmonologist sent us home with a 14 day Tobra/Fortaz IV regiment even though the cultures were clean. We are ok with this. We want to stay aggressive.

Could this mucus plug be asthma or RSV related? I think I heard some one mention asthma plugging. Please let me know what you think about a plug in the middle lobe that didnt culture anything.

By the way, she is doing great! She has stopped coughing almost completely. We are fighting thrush with nystatin. (That makes her have a throaty cough when she eats sometimes) She doesnt cough at all when running playing or crying.

[Guest]

In a patient with cystic fibrosis, mucous plugging is common and related to multiple bacteria. the mainstay of therapy is antibiotics even if the cultures are negative. It sounds like her doctors are doing the right things for her.
[quote] Our daughter with CF was recently admitted due to an asthma flare up and a positive RSV test. The x rays showed some mucus streaking and a bronchoscopy done while she was getting ear tubes found a large mucus plug in the middle right lobe... [/quote]

[Guest]

Thank you for your reply.

I really wanted to know if the mucus plug could be caused by
1) Asthma- I have read sometimes the airways produce excess mucus during a flare up.

2) Could this plug be related to the RSV?

We know the plug was clean of bacteria due to the 5 day cultures which were completed on it. Her deep suction trach culture was also clean.

I agree our daughter is getting excellent care. We understand it is better to give antibiotics in this situation than to rely on the culture results. The mucus in her lungs can also start growing something before it all gets cleared. We are very ok with the IV treatments.

I just want to know possible causes of the mucus plug if we rule out a bacterial source. The diagnosis has been made. I just want to know what to watch for next time.

Thanks!

[quote] In a patient with cystic fibrosis, mucous plugging is common and related to multiple bacteria. the mainstay of therapy is antibiotics even if the cultures are negative... [/quote]

[Guest]

asthma is a more common cause of mucous plugging than RSV but any inflammation in the lungs can cause this. patients with asthma can and do get mucous plugging when they have an exacerbation.
[quote] Thank you for your reply.

I really wanted to know if the mucus plug could be caused by
1) Asthma- I have read sometimes the airways produce excess mucus during a flare up... [/quote]