Risks of fibre-optic bronchoscopy are, in general, very small. This is borne out by the limited literature; a review in English from 1988, and a recent review in Italian. Both describe rare complications from fibre-optic bronchoscopy only when biopsies are taken. There are no reported complications for fibre-optic bronchoscopy down an in situ endotracheal tube only to the depth of the carina in adults.