Management of tracheobronchial foreign bodies in adults

Objective To investigate the clinical characteristics and experiences of tracheobronchial foreign bodies in adult patients.Methods The clinical data of 24 cases(16 men and 8 women;age range 18-85 years)with tracheobronchial foreign bodies admitted between January 1996 and January 2010 were retrospectively analyzed.Results The foreign tracheobronchial bodies in adult patients were varied.The foreign bodies were successfully removed in all but 2 patients.One case with the foreign body was taken out by direct laryngoscopy,one case was subjected to emergency tracheotomy,10 cases were subjected to rigid bronchoscopies and the other 7 cases were subjected to flexible bronchoscopy.3 patients after admission coughed up the foreign bodies.Conclusions Foreign bodies in the tracheobronchial system are rare in adults.Tracheobronchial foreign bodies in adults have a variety of clinical presentations and often go unrecognized.They can be successfully removed in the majority of patients under either flexible or rigid bronchoscopy.