Over-the-counter and into the Airway: A Case Report of an Unusual Foreign Body

Abstract

Foreign-body (FB) aspiration in children is often a life-threatening condition and requires quick and skilled intervention. FBs may affect the airway in different ways depending upon their physical and chemical nature. Here, we describe a 7-year-old boy who presented 12 h after aspirating a common antihistaminic pill available over the counter. At presentation, the child had tachypnea, hypoxia, subcutaneous emphysema over the neck and right chest, and pneumomediastinum with right lung collapse on chest X-ray. A flexible bronchoscopy done after intubating the child showed the swollen pill obstructing the right main bronchus. Pieces of the disintegrating pill were grasped and removed using a forceps and wire basket over a period of 4 h. Following complete removal, the patient had an uneventful recovery. Medicinal pills can cause disastrous complications and should be removed from the airway as early as possible.