Medium urgency
-Moderately severe
It is the inhalation of a foreign object through the nose or mouth that ends up in the airway.
It is usually caused by small objects, such as coins, buttons or marbles.
It is usually manifested by coughing, wheezing and/or a feeling of suffocation.
It is diagnosed by clinical questioning and physical examination with pulmonary auscultation. It is confirmed by an imaging test, usually X-ray and/or CT-scan.
Treatment consists of removing the object from the airway with an endoscope.
It is considered a medical emergency because it can obstruct the air passage to the lungs leading to severe respiratory failure (even respiratory arrest).
- Wes Shepherd. Airway foreign bodies in adults. UpToDate Jul 14, 2016.
- Felix JF Herth. Clinical presentation, diagnostic evaluation, and management of central airway obstruction in adults. UpToDate Mar 17, 2016.
- Casalini AG, Majori M, Anghinolfi M, et al. Foreign body aspiration in adults and in children: advantages and consequences of a dedicated protocol in our 30-year experience. J Bronchology Interv Pulmonol 2013; 20:313.
- Kinsey CM, Folch E, Majid A, Channick CL. Evaluation and management of pill aspiration: case discussion and review of the literature. Chest 2013; 143:1791.
- Saliba J, Mijovic T, Daniel S, et al. Asthma: the great imitator in foreign body aspiration? J Otolaryngol Head Neck Surg 2012; 41:200.
- Boyd M, Chatterjee A, Chiles C, Chin R Jr. Tracheobronchial foreign body aspiration in adults. South Med J 2009; 102:171.
Dr. Oscar Garcia-Esquirol
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