Analyzing the characteristics of respiratory microbiota before and after the placement of an airway stent for malignant central airway obstruction

Malignant central airway stenosis is a life-threatening condition that can be treated with airway stent placement. However, the impact of stent placement on the respiratory microbiota is unclear. To compare the respiratory microbiota before and after stent placement in patients with malignant central airway stenosis and to identify potential microbial biomarkers, we collected bronchoalveolar lavage fluid samples from 60 patients who underwent airway stent treatment at the Emergency General Hospital between July 2022 and March 2023. The samples were categorized into three groups: before stent (BS), after stent day 3 (AS-D3), and after stent granulation tissue formation (AS-GTF). We performed metagenomic next-generation sequencing (mNGS) to analyze the microbial differences in each group. We observed significant variations in the microbiota of the lower respiratory tract among different groups. As the stent placement time increased, there were significant changes in respiratory microbiota composition, which might be closely linked to the process of granulation tissue formation. Our study identified potential microbial biomarkers that could be used for monitoring and managing patients after stent placement.