Foreign body aspiration

Foreign body aspiration
Aspiration of corn kernel that became lodged in the airway of an adult patient.
Specialty	Respirology
Symptoms	Fever, choking, sore throat, drooling, stridor, speech difficulties, cyanosis, bronchitis, coughing, wheezing
Complications	Pulmonary aspiration, blockage, pneumonia, respiratory failure, respiratory infection, cardiopulmonary arrest, pulmonary embolism, pulmonary hemorrhage
Usual onset	Sudden or gradual
Risk factors	Children ages 3 and lower, alcoholism, drug abuse, senility, Parkinson's disease, improper eating habits, chest trauma, neck trauma, Alzheimer's disease
Differential diagnosis	Asthma, COPD, lung cancer, poisoning, drug overdose, cyanide poisoning, epileptic seizures, esophageal cancer, laryngeal cancer

Foreign body aspiration occurs when a foreign body enters the airway which can cause difficulty breathing or choking.^[1] Objects may reach the respiratory tract and the digestive tract from the mouth and nose, but when an object enters the respiratory tract it is termed aspiration. The foreign body can then become lodged in the trachea or further down the respiratory tract such as in a bronchus.^[2] Regardless of the type of object, any aspiration can be a life-threatening situation and requires timely recognition and action to minimize risk of complications.^[3] While advances have been made in management of this condition leading to significantly improved clinical outcomes, there were still 2,700 deaths resulting from foreign body aspiration in 2018.^[4] Approximately one child dies every five days due to choking on food in the United States, highlighting the need for improvements in education and prevention.^[5]