• Ascedio José Rodrigues, Eduardo Quintino Oliveira, Paulo Rogério Scordamaglio, Marcelo Gervilla Gregório, Márcia Jacomelli, and Viviane Rossi Figueiredo.
• Instituto do Coração, Hospital das Clínicas, Faculdade de Medicina, Universidade de São Paulo, São Paulo, SP, Brazil. ascedio@gmail.com
• J Bras Pneumol. 2012 May 1; 38 (3): 315-20.

ObjectiveTo determine the success rate of flexible bronchoscopy as the first-choice method of removing foreign bodies from the airways of adults.MethodsThis was a retrospective study of all adult patients (over 18 years of age) with foreign body aspiration submitted to bronchoscopy between January of 2009 and January of 2011 at the University of São Paulo School of Medicine Hospital das Clínicas, located in São Paulo, Brazil.ResultsThe study sample comprised 40 adult patients, with a mean age of 52 years (range, 18-88 years). The median time of permanence of the foreign body in the airway was 15 days (range, 12 h to 10 years). All of the patients first underwent diagnostic flexible bronchoscopy. Foreign bodies were successfully removed with flexible bronchoscopy in 33 (82.5%) of the patients. In 1 patient, a metal object lodged in the distal bronchial tree required the use of fluoroscopy. Six patients (15%) required rigid bronchoscopy due to tracheal foreign body-induced dyspnea, in 2, and because the foreign body was too large for the flexible forceps, in 4. Bronchoscopy failed in 1 patient, who therefore required surgical bronchotomy.ConclusionsAlthough rigid bronchoscopy is considered the gold standard for the removal of foreign bodies from the airways, our experience showed that flexible bronchoscopy can be safely and effectively used in the diagnosis and treatment of stable adult patients.

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