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Tracheobronchial foreign body (TFB) aspiration is a common occurrence in children compared with adults. Long-standing cases of TFB aspiration during childhood presenting in an adult have rarely been reported. We report the unique case of an endobronchial Playmobil traffic cone that went undetected for 40 years and presented as a suspected bronchogenic carcinoma. This was subsequently removed successfully with flexible bronchoscopy. To our knowledge this is the first case of a TFB that was overlooked this length of time., Competing Interests: Competing interests: None declared., (© BMJ Publishing Group Ltd (unless otherwise stated in the text of the article) 2017. All rights reserved. No commercial use is permitted unless otherwise expressly granted.)

Competing Interests: Competing interests: None declared.

A toddler presented with a 5-month history of recurrent episodes of cough, wheezing and fever. Before referral, the toddler had been initially diagnosed as having bronchial asthma and later as having pulmonary tuberculosis. On examination, the patient was febrile and had severe respiratory distress. Chest radiograph and high-resolution CT of the chest revealed collapse of the entire left lung with diffuse bronchiectasis along with a grossly hyperinflated right lung. CT virtual bronchoscopy did not reveal any foreign body. The parents denied any history suggestive of foreign body aspiration and refused consent for rigid bronchoscopy. Nine days after admission, chest physiotherapy was inadvertently prescribed to the patient. Within an hour, the patient experienced acute respiratory deterioration and died. Autopsy revealed a piece of betel nut in the right main bronchus; it had got dislodged from its initial site in the left main bronchus following the chest physiotherapy session., (2015 BMJ Publishing Group Ltd.)

A 15-month-old girl developed persistent cough with no associated history of foreign body aspiration. Chest X-ray showed a U-shaped radiopaque foreign body, which was initially thought to be a hairpin, in the right main bronchus. Rigid bronchoscopy was performed and the foreign body turned out to be a light-emitting diode (LED) bulb. In this article, we report our experience of LED bulb aspiration in children, with the view to raise the awareness of clinicians about this potentially life-threatening emergency., (2015 BMJ Publishing Group Ltd.)

Chest X-ray in a 17-year-old boy, presenting with haemoptysis, revealed a radiopaque foreign body (FB) in the right lower lobe. There was no history of aspiration. CT located the needle-shaped FB in the right posterobasal lower lobe segment bronchus. In bronchoscopy, the FB turned out to be a pin, of which the radiolucent plastic head was embedded in the peribronchial tissue. Extraction by flexible and rigid bronchoscopy failed; finally, thoracotomy and bronchotomy had to be performed to remove the pin. In delayed diagnosis of a tracheobronchial FB, CT scan is not only necessary to localise the FB but also to depict or rule out secondary pulmonary changes. Nevertheless, radiolucent components of a metallic FB might be invisible even in CT, leading to underestimation of its size and extension. Late diagnosis complicates removal of tracheobronchial foreign bodies and may even necessitate open surgery, including pulmonary resections., (2014 BMJ Publishing Group Ltd.)

Undiagnosed and retained foreign bodies in lungs may result in serious complications such as pneumonia, atelectasis or bronchiectasis. We describe a clinical scenario of chronic and recurrent cough in a 41-year-old woman with no comorbidities. Her chest CT scan was suggestive of a mass lesion in the right main bronchus. Bronchoscopic examination showed no growth; instead, note was made of a plastic foreign body. The foreign body was retracted using a rigid Bronchoscope. The patient admitted unintentionally aspirating this plastic object when she was in her early 20s but denied any serious respiratory complication at that time or later. However, she was admitted 6 years prior to current presentation with pneumonia and discharged home following parenteral antibiotic therapy. On retrieval of the foreign body her clinical condition improved and she has been following up at our clinic for the past 2 years., (2014 BMJ Publishing Group Ltd.)

We report a case of a 35-year-old man who presented with 4-week history of haemoptysis, with a history of intravenous drug use. There was no other significant medical or surgical history and no recollection of any foreign body aspiration. Chest X-ray and CT scan showed 40 mm long needle in left main bronchus, partly lying outside the bronchus into the mediastinum. Flexible and rigid bronchoscopes proved to be unsuccessful in retrieving the needle. We proceeded with left posterolateral thoracotomy and the left main bronchus was explored to take out this 21-gauge (green) injection needle. The distal half of the needle with the sharp end was lying in the mediastinum piercing through the bronchial wall. Surgery was uneventful with good postoperative recovery and the patient was discharged 4 days later.

Foreign body inhalation causing asphyxiation is a significant cause of death in children under 4 years. Approximately one-fifth of the cases are inorganic industrial objects. We describe the case of an 18-month-old boy who presented with respiratory distress after inhaling a wall plug. An emergency rigid bronchoscopy was performed; however, the nature of the object and its location within the airway proved it difficult to identify at first look, causing the removal to be a challenge even in the most skilled of hands. Furthermore, its design contributed to the severity of obstruction of the airway and hence risk of death. This case prompts a discussion on the safety implications of small inorganic product designs and the measures currently being taken by manufacturers and clinicians to prevent the fatal asphyxiation in children.

Foreign body aspiration can infrequently occur following trauma. Tooth aspiration after trauma is a rare clinical scenario. Here, we report a case in which tooth aspiration after trauma led to a presentation of acute respiratory failure with clinical findings mimicking tension pneumothorax. Successful removal of the aspirated tooth was accomplished by rigid bronchoscopy. Tooth aspiration must be considered in the list of differential diagnosis for any patient having signs or symptoms of respiratory distress following trauma especially maxillofacial trauma.