• Osman Adi, Muhammad Faiz Baherin, Chan Pei Fong, Ahmad AbdulBasitz Ahmad Fatan, Azma Haryaty Ahmad, Alhady Alfian Yusof, and Faheem Ahmed Khan.
• Senior Consultant Emergency Physician & ED Critical Care, Resuscitation & Emergency Critical Care Unit, Trauma & Emergency Department, Hospital Raja Permaisuri Bainun, Ipoh, Perak, Malaysia. Electronic address: adiosman151072@gmail.com.
• Am J Emerg Med. 2022 Mar 1; 53: 23-28.

AbstractAs foreign body airway obstruction (FBAO) can be life-threatening, it has to be promptly diagnosed and treated. We report a case series of three patients presenting to the emergency department with cardiac arrest due to FBAO. In each case, ventilation was difficult due to high airway resistance. As FBAO was suspected, the emergency physician did a prompt flexible bronchoscopy to confirm the diagnosis and retrieve the foreign body. Flexible bronchoscopy is an important diagnostic and therapeutic tool for emergency airway management, and is a relatively safe procedure if performed by a trained personnel. The life-saving benefits of bronchoscopy outweigh the small risks of complications such as bleeding, desaturation and pneumothorax. In the three cases, the removal of the obstructing material led to immediate improvements in oxygenation and ventilation. The patients had return of spontaneous circulation after cardiopulmonary resuscitation and definite airway control.Copyright © 2021 Elsevier Inc. All rights reserved.

13 keywords...

hide…