[Foreign body management. Combined bronchoscopy in a Paediatric Pulmonology Unit]

The foreign body (FB) aspiration is a significant of morbidity and mortality in childhood. The severity of the acute obstruction of the upper airway and the complications that the FB creates in the lower airway requires early diagnosis and treatment. Classically, the FB is removed with a rigid bronchoscope, with general anaesthesia, by surgeons. Nowadays, there are publications on removing FB with flexible bronchoscopy. There is now discussion on which is the best instrument, rigid or flexible bronchoscope. Flexible bronchoscopy is a minimal invasive procedure that allows the diagnosis to be made and locate the FB, which can only be removed in selected cases. Therefore, authors believe that FB removal is more effective with rigid bronchoscopy. It guarantees patient safety and the success of the procedure. However, both, flexible and rigid bronchoscopes are complementary, so their combined use is the most appropriate choice. We report the management of five cases of FB in paediatric patients with a combined procedure using flexible and rigid bronchoscopy.