Complications of Foreign Bodies in the Tracheobronchial Tree

EXCELLENT reviews have been published on the subject of foreign bodies in the tracheobronchial tree.1,2,5,7,8The course of illness after inhalation of a foreign body depends on the age of the patient, on the morphological characteristics, on the position and duration of stay of the object in the air passage, and on the mode of therapy. The purpose of this paper is to illustrate and emphasize the importance of early diagnosis and adequate treatment in this disease in order to prevent subsequent cardiopulmonary changes, which may be lethal or irreversible requiring radical surgery. Our recent experience with six complicated cases of foreign body inhalation (Table) prompted us to present this report. Report of Cases Cardiac Arrest After Aspiration of a Foreign Body. —Case 1. —A 7-year-old boy choked on a loquat seed following which he coughed violently, became unconscious, and stopped breathing. Within ten minutes of the incident,