Foreign body in the airway: A review of 202 cases

Abstract

Foreign body in the tracheobronchial tree is serious and, on occasion, fatal. The symptoms and signs can be confused with asthma and pneumonia, leaving the true condition unsuspected. Children one to three years old with a triad of cough, wheezing and decreased air entry should be suspected. A child with protracted pneumonia should be reconsidered. Chest films in the expiratory phase should be taken. In no other operative procedure is it more important to have teamwork and good communication between endoscopist and anesthesiologist, when the diagnosis is made.

Incidence of Foreign Bodies in Aerodigestive Tract in Vindhya Region: Our Experience

“…In the tracheobronchial passages, our study shows the predominant site as right bronchus similar to other studies [6,12,14].…”

“…The most common presentations of a foreign body in the airway were dyspnea and cough, which are similar to study by Kim et al [12]. Among the signs, rhonchi and other attenuated sounds was most common.…”

“…The most common site of lodgment is the cervical oesophagus [6,12,14] as the cricopharynx is the narrowest part of the food passages and the relatively weak peristalsis in the upper oesophagus makes this site especially vulnerable. This is in accordance with present study.…”

Anesthetic management of tracheobronchial foreign body removal

“…Medical records regarding the anesthetic management, surgical records and records of intensive care were collected and analyzed. Analyses were done regarding [2][3][4][5][6] the patients' age, sex, location of foreign body in airway, symptoms of the patients during presentation, signs, ventilation modes during general anesthesia for removal of foreign body, complications faced and types of foreign bodies extracted. All the patients brought for the foreign body removal in emergency and electively were enrolled in the study.…”

“…The current mortality rate from foreign body inhalation is between 0% and 1.8% according to various studies. 3,4 In spite of this, undiagnosed and unsuspected foreign bodies still occur in the airway. 1 To decrease the morbidity and mortality, and optimal outcome of the patient the close cooperation and communication between the anesthesiologists, surgeon, intensivists and the paediatrician for post operative cannot be over emphasized.…”