Successful airway resuscitation and removal of a life-threatening subglottic foreign body in an infant: a case report

Airway foreign body removal is challenging.It is a time-limited and life-saving procedure.We report a successful case of life-saving by pushing a foreign body further into the distal airway to block one lung and save the other lung.A 12-month-old boy presented in the emergency department with choking.Upon arrival, his mental status was alert.However, respiratory failure rapidly progressed and arrest occurred.We tried to push the foreign body distal by pushing the endotracheal tube as deep as possible and inserting stylet further.With this procedure, the patient was successfully resuscitated and bronchoscopic foreign body removal was performed.The patient was discharged without respiratory or neurologic sequelae.We reported this successful life-threatening subglottic airway foreign body removal case in an infant. Capsule SummaryWhat is already known Airway obstruction due to foreign body mainly occurs in children under 3 years of age and is the leading cause of non-disease related death in children under 12 months of age.Rapid removal is crucial, and a widely endorsed approach for this is utilizing a rigid bronchoscope. What is new in the current studyRespiratory failure due to a foreign body requires a life-saving 'bridge' until definite removal.After inserting the endotracheal tube deeper, an additional technique involved using a stylet to push the foreign body, resulting in successful migration into the right main bronchus.This case illustrates a life-saving intervention.