Airway Management of a 3-Year-Old Child With a Penetrating Oropharyngeal Foreign Body Risking Vascular Injury.

Abstract

Management of anesthesia for a child with an upper airway foreign body is fraught with particular challenges. We present the case of a 3-year-old girl who presented to the emergency department with a 12-cm sewing needle protruding from her mouth and unknown vascular involvement. We were faced with establishing a secure airway despite exclusion of mask ventilation or use of a laryngeal mask airway. Moreover, peripheral intravenous access was lost before adequate sedation. Ultimately, we were able to safely induce anesthesia and achieve endotracheal intubation. The penetrating foreign body was removed with no perioperative complications.