Objective To explore the application effect of the bedside lung ultrasonography in emergency-plus (BLUE-plus) protocol combined with bronchoalveolar lavage (BAL) in patients with atelectasis in the intensive care unit (ICU). Methods A total of 60 patients with atelectasis admitted to the Department of Critical Care Medicine, the People's Hospital of Guangxi Zhuang Autonomous Region, from February 2022 to October 2023 were selected as the research subjects, and they were divided into a control group or an observation group using the random number table method, with 30 cases in each group. The control group received pulmonary CT-guided BAL treatment, while the observation group received BAL treatment under the guidance of pulmonary CT combined with the BLUE-plus protocol. The following parameters were compared between the two groups: blood gas analysis indicators (arterial partial pressure of oxygen [PaO2], arterial partial pressure of carbon dioxide [PaCO2], and oxygenation index [OI]), infection indicators (white blood cell count and procalcitonin [PCT]), and lung ultrasound score (LUS) before and after treatment, as well as duration of mechanical ventilation. Results Before treatment, there was no statistically significant difference in PaO2, PaCO2, OI, white blood cell count, PCT level, or LUS between the two groups (all P>0.05). Compared with those before treatment, the PaO2 and OI were higher in both groups after treatment, and the PaCO2, white blood cell count, PCT level, and LUS were lower in both groups after treatment (all P<0.05); the PaO2 and OI were higher and the PCT level and LUS were lower in the observation group than in the control group after treatment (all P<0.05). The duration of mechanical ventilation in the observation group was shorter than that in the control group (P<0.05). Conclusion The BLUE-plus protocol enables dynamic and precise localization of atelectasis. Performing BAL under its guidance is an effective method for treating atelectasis in ICU patients. This approach can effectively control local infections, improve patients' oxygenation, reduce the severity of lung lesions, and shorten the duration of mechanical ventilation, which is worthy of clinical promotion and application.