Respiratory failure in adults due to foreign body aspiration: A case series

Introduction: Foreign body aspiration (FBA) is rare in adults and its clinical presentation can be very diverse. Acute symptoms as dyspnea and choking are often immediately linked to FBA. However, mild or even asymptomatic chronic pulmonary symptoms can be presented as a result of FBA. Physical examination is usually nonspecific. Chest X-ray is often normal or shows nonspecific findings. Treatment and definite diagnosis can be accomplished using rigid or flexible bronchoscopy. Case Series: We present two cases of foreign body aspiration. The first case was the aspiration of a broken tracheostomy tube leading to acute respiratory failure and the second case was the aspiration of a medication blister which initially presented as atypical chronic pulmonary symptoms but evolved to a medical emergency of acute respiratory failure. Conclusion: These two cases show the broad range of symptoms and findings associated with FBA. When patients present with nonspecific pulmonary findings, FBA should be included in the differential diagnosis. (This page in not part of the published article.) International Journal of Case Reports and Images, Vol. 7 No. 7, July 2016. ISSN – [0976-3198] Int J Case Rep Images 2016;7(7):422–426. www.ijcasereportsandimages.com Woittiez et al. 422 CASE REPORT OPEN ACCESS Respiratory failure in adults due to foreign body aspiration: A case series Lycke R. Woittiez, Elsbeth J. Wesselink, Marcel A. de Leeuw, Cornelis Slagt