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Hindi Case Report, J Otol Rhinol Vol: 7 Issue: 2
An Unusual Airway Foreign Body: A Cockroach in the Trachea
Sheyn A1*, Liu2,3 and Shah GB2,3
1University of Tennessee Health Science Center, Department of Otolaryngology, Memphis, TN, USA
2Children’s Health, Department of Pediatric Otolaryngology, Dallas, TX, USA
3University of Texas at Southwestern, Department of Otolaryngology - Head and Neck Surgery, Dallas, TX, USA
*Corresponding Author : Anthony Sheyn MD
910 Madison Ave, Memphis, TN 38103, Suite 400, USA
Tel: 513-225-2288
E-mail: asheyn@uthsc.edu
Received: September 09, 2017 Accepted: February 09, 2018 Published: February 13, 2018
Citation: Sheyn A, Liu CC, Shah GB (2018) An Unusual Airway Foreign Body: A Cockroach in the Trachea. J Otol Rhinol 7:2. doi: 10.4172/2324-8785.1000337
Abstract
We present a case of airway obstruction by an unusual foreign body in a 10 month old male. The child was brought intubated to the emergency room after he was found unconscious and blue by his parents. His older sibling reported a choking episode after he placed a black object in his mouth. Chest x-ray on arrival demonstrated right-sided air trapping but no definite radio-opaque foreign body. Due to difficulty with ventilation and post-obstructive pulmonary edema on initial bronchoscopy, emergent extracorporeal membrane oxygenation (ECMO) was initiated to help stabilize the patient. Subsequent bronchoscopy demonstrated near total obstruction of the mid-trachea by an insect-like object. The object removed appeared to be a common American cockroach.
Airway foreign body retrieval is a common part of otolaryngology practice. Most of the time, these foreign bodies are food materials or other inanimate objects. Finding a cockroach in the airway is incredibly rare and only three cases have been reported in the literature. This case also illustrates that ECMO may be considered in a patient too unstable to tolerate temporary withdrawal of ventilatory support for endoscopy. Additionally, rapid diagnosis and treatment is important when caring for a child with suspected foreign body aspiration.
