Tracheobronchial foreign body inhalation: Experience of 234 case series

Background: Foreign body aspiration (FBA) is not an uncommon entity in the population. Objectives: In the current study, we discuss our experience in the management of 234 case series with tracheobronchial foreign body removal using bronchoscopy. Materials and Methods: The bronchoscopy database (from 2021 to 2022) was reviewed for subjects with a history of FBA managed with bronchoscopy. Demographic, clinical, and bronchoscopy data were collected and analyzed. Results: A total of 234 bronchoscopies were carried out for FBA throughout the study period. FBA was more prevalent in children under the age of two (29%) and in patients over the age of ten (24%). In 205 patients, a foreign corpse was found (87.6%). The majority of organic foreign bodies were sunflower seeds (22.4%). Nonetheless, the metallic pins (25.3%) were the most frequent foreign body. The preferred location for the impaction was the right major bronchus (45.9%). Just 90.2% of these individuals had a foreign body. History had an 89.7% sensitivity and a 31% specificity for detecting FBA. Laryngeal edema, which afflicted 32 patients (13.7%), and recurrent chronic chest infection, which affected 13 patients (5.5%), were the most frequent bronchoscopy-related side effects. Conclusions: Foreign body inhalation most frequently impacted children aged 1–2 years. The history is a major element in the diagnosis, and bronchoscopy findings were strongly correlated with the patient’s history of the incident. The most frequent clinical symptom among individuals who had a proven foreign body but no history of inhalation was protracted pneumonia. The location of the most frequent foreign body lodgment in the tracheobronchial tree depends on the type of foreign body, with metallic pins occurring more commonly in the left main bronchus. Laryngeal edema, which occurred in 13.7% of bronchoscopy patients, was the most frequent complication.