Related Experiment Video
Updated: Jul 7, 2025

The Bovine Lung in Biomedical Research: Visually Guided Bronchoscopy, Intrabronchial Inoculation and In Vivo Sampling Techniques
Published on: July 3, 2014
Waiting to exhale: Retrieval of an unusual bronchial foreign body
D Franey1, Z Frenzel1, D Manchester2
1Department of General Surgery, St. Luke's University Health Network, Bethlehem, Pennsylvania, USA.
Abstract:
Foreign-body aspiration in adults is considerably less common than in children. The clinical course can be life-threatening but often presents in a more indolent manner, leading to difficulties with diagnosis. We report the retrieval of a buprenorphine-naloxone wrapper by flexible bronchoscopy in a 44-year-old male patient with COVID-19 who was on mechanical ventilation. Following removal, the patient completed treatment for COVID-19, his respiratory status improved, and he was discharged from the hospital. Flexible bronchoscopy is an effective means of diagnosis and retrieval of foreign bodies in the distal airway.
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