Fatal prolonged foreign body aspiration following an asymptomatic interval

Patients with nondiagnosed foreign body aspiration usually have persistent symptoms and occasionally die. We are reporting two patients with histories suggestive of foreign body aspiration who were not definitively studied because of resolving symptoms. Both children became asymptomatic but subsequently developed acute, total airway obstruction and died. These cases demonstrate the difficulty of diagnosing aspiration and the necessity of timely intervention.