Sputum Culture: How It Feels

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How It Feels

If you have discomfort when taking a deep breath or when coughing, obtaining a sputum sample may be uncomfortable. If you need to inhale the aerosol mist to produce a sputum sample, you will often feel a deep, uncontrollable urge to cough.

During bronchoscopy or collection of a sputum sample using a catheter, you may feel a strong urge to cough as the bronchoscope or catheter passes into the back of your throat. You may also feel as if you cannot breathe. Try to relax and breathe slowly while the bronchoscope or catheter is in place. If you are given medication to numb your throat and nose, you may feel as if your tongue and throat are swollen and that you cannot swallow.

On rare occasions, a transtracheal aspiration is used to collect a sputum sample. The health professional will inject a local anesthetic to keep you from feeling any pain when the needle is inserted into your trachea. When you are given the local anesthetic, you will feel sharp stinging or burning that lasts a few seconds. When the needle is inserted into the trachea, you will again feel a sharp pain for a few seconds, similar to having your blood drawn. The health professional may ask you to hold your breath during key moments of the procedure.

Last updated:	March 21, 2007
Author:	Jan Nissl, RN, BS
Reviewed By:	Caroline S. Rhoads, MD - Internal Medicine, Robert L. Cowie, MB, FCP(SA), MD, MSc, MFOM - Pulmonology
Editors:	Sydney Youngerman-Cole, RN, BSN, RNC, Tracy Landauer