SESSION TITLE: Allergy and Airway SESSION TYPE: Med Student/Res Case Rep Postr PRESENTED ON: 10/09/2018 01:15 PM - 02:15 PM INTRODUCTION: Tracheobronchial foreign body aspiration(FBA) in adults is common requiring early recognition to prevent potential complications. Presentation may be subtle, particularly if there are other confounding clinical factors, and requires a high index of suspicion(1). Atelectasis, air trapping, pulmonary infiltrates, and mediastinal shift may be the initial signs of FBA. A common setting is loss of consciousness with trauma, intoxication or neuological disease(1). Delay in diagnosis can be life-threatening, with occlusion of the large airways, potential asphyxiation, pneumonia and abscess,and delayed sepsis(2). Over 90% of foreign bodies are radiolucent and teeth are fortunately radiodense. The right bronchus is the most common site of FBA vs. the distal airways, and are rarely bilateral as in this case. This case report reveal tricks via FB for retrieval of multiple, distally impacted teeth. CASE PRESENTATION: We report a case of FBA in a 64-year-old man who lost consciousness after an acute myocardial infarction, who hit his head on the steering wheel developed a a subarachnoid haemorrhage in a motor vehicle accident(MVA). He was hemodynamic stable with GCS 8/15. It was noted he had lost several teeth. CXR demonstrated bilateral lower lobe hyperlucencies(Figure 1A). CT chest confirmed one tooth in the right lower(Figure 1B) and two in the left lower lobe(Figure 1C, D).FB was performed through the ETT, retrieving three aspirated teeth(Figure 2A). The small, smooth hard nature of the teeth thwarted initial attempts for retrieval with alligator forceps. Multiple adjunctive techniques were employed, including enclosing the teeth with various retrieval devices using a Roth net(Figure 2B,C) and Dormia basket(Figure 2D)(1). The patient was subsequently extubated. DISCUSSION: Rigid bronchoscopy might be considered the preferred modality for foreign body removal, in the face of bleeding, with centrally-located foreign bodies, or massive haemoptysis. In this case, foreign bodies were distal, there was no active bleeding, and there was no other reason to proceed to the operating room, the necessity of C-spine precautions, making rigid bronchoscopy not optimal. Thus flexible bronchoscopy was deemed most suitable and could be performed at the bedside.Advancements in FB techniques have made it the initial preferred method for diagnosis and removal of foreign bodies in adults (1). FB also has advantages in its ease, less sedation requirement, less discomfort, ability to access more peripheral foreign bodies as well as being more feasible in patients with contraindications to rigid bronchoscopy(1). CONCLUSIONS: A multidisciplinary approach between cardiothoracic surgery and pulmonary medicine is recommended for successful complex removal of foreign bodies(6) with multiple adjuncts available in this highly critically ill patient. Reference #1: (1) Rafanan AL, Mehta AC. Adult airway foreign body removal: What's new? Clin Chest Med 2001;22(2):319-330. Reference #2: (2) Debeljak A, Kecelj P. Bronchoscopic removal of foreign bodies in adults: experience with 62 patients from 1974–1998. European Respiratory Journal 2008;14(4):792-795. Reference #3: (3) Weber SM, Chesnutt MS, Barton R, Cohen JI. Extraction of dental crowns from the airway: a multidisciplinary approach. Laryngoscope 2005 Apr;115(4):687-689. DISCLOSURES: no disclosure on file for Lawrence Chin; No relevant relationships by Christine Feliu, source=Web Response no disclosure on file for Amour Patel; No relevant relationships by Barbara Robinson, source=Web Response
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