Necrotizing pulmonary infection from retained foreign body: Case report and review of the literature

Airway foreign body is one of the more common and potentially life-threatening consultations received by pediatric otolaryngologists. Despite a low-threshold for operative evaluation, airway foreign bodies are frequently missed and can result in serious complications. Necrotizing pulmonary infection is one such possible complication that has been historically treated with lung resection. We report the case of a 2-year-old boy presenting with a necrotizing pulmonary infection from a foreign body in the distal left lower lobe that had gone unrecognized for one year and subsequently review the literature regarding a changing trend in management of pediatric necrotizing pulmonary infections.