Management of airway foreign body using flexible bronchoscopy: Experience with 80 cases during 2011–2013

BackgroundForeign body aspiration (FBA) into the tracheobronchial tree is a serious problem necessitating prompt recognition and management. This study aimed to report our experience in airway foreign body removal by flexible bronchoscopy.Study designDescriptive study.MethodsA total of 80 patients with FBA were included in the study. They were 61 pediatric cases and 19 adult cases. Sixty-four were females and 16 cases were males, their age ranged from 2 to 52 years. The clinical manifestations, radiological findings and bronchoscopic findings of the procedure were analyzed.ResultsAmong the patients, only 88.8% had a definite history of FBA. The most frequent symptom was paroxysmal cough (61.3%), followed by expectoration, fever or wheezing, hemoptysis and dyspnea. Chest X-ray showed radiopaque foreign body in 78.8% of the patients, normal chest radiology in 8.8% and right lower lobe consolidation in 6.3%. The most common location of FB was either right or left lower lobe bronchus (16, 20%). Sixty-two (77.5%) of FB inhalation were pins, followed by seeds in 6 patients (7.5%), and plastic toys in 5 patients (6.3%). The gestures that lead to FBA by the patients were during laughter in 28 cases (35%), chalking (26.2%), talking (15%) and sneezing (8.8%). In 9 patients (11.2%) the acts that lead to FBA were not identified by the patients.ConclusionsFlexible bronchoscopy is successful in retrieving airway foreign bodies (88.8%). With skilled personnel and perfect equipments, flexible bronchoscopy could be considered as the first choice for the removal of airway foreign body.