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Updated: May 16, 2026
04:55
Handheld Metal Detector Screening for Metallic Foreign Body Ingestion in Children
Published on: September 11, 2018
Cracking the case of foreign body aspiration
Margaret Hayes1, David Feller-Kopman, Lonny Yarmus
1*Department of Medicine †Division of Interventional Pulmonology, The Johns Hopkins Hospital, Baltimore, MD.
Journal of Bronchology & Interventional Pulmonology
|December 5, 2012
Summary
Foreign body aspiration is rare in adults, usually involving food. This case highlights an unusual adult foreign body aspiration of a crack vial causing airway obstruction, requiring urgent removal.
Area of Science:
- Pulmonology
- Emergency Medicine
- Toxicology
Background:
- Foreign body aspiration is a common cause of unintentional death in children.
- It is uncommon in adults, typically involving food particles in patients with impaired swallowing or consciousness.
- Central airway obstruction can present with severe respiratory distress.
Purpose of the Study:
- To report an atypical case of foreign body aspiration in an adult.
- To highlight the potential for unusual objects to cause airway compromise.
- To emphasize the importance of considering foreign body aspiration in adults with unexplained respiratory symptoms.
Main Methods:
- Case report of an adult patient presenting with dyspnea and pleuritic chest pain.
- Diagnostic workup including imaging (implied).
- Urgent rigid bronchoscopy for foreign body removal.
Main Results:
- A crack vial was identified as the aspirated foreign body.
- The object caused obstruction in the left mainstem bronchus.
- Successful removal of the foreign body via rigid bronchoscopy.
Conclusions:
- Foreign body aspiration in adults can occur with atypical objects and presentations.
- Central airway obstruction by foreign bodies requires prompt diagnosis and intervention.
- Rigid bronchoscopy is an effective treatment for removing large central airway foreign bodies.
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