Skip to main page content
U.S. flag

An official website of the United States government

Dot gov

The .gov means it’s official.
Federal government websites often end in .gov or .mil. Before sharing sensitive information, make sure you’re on a federal government site.

Https

The site is secure.
The https:// ensures that you are connecting to the official website and that any information you provide is encrypted and transmitted securely.

Access keys NCBI Homepage MyNCBI Homepage Main Content Main Navigation
Case Reports
. 2015 Spring;15(1):110-3.

Management challenges in the passing-through technique using a fogarty catheter to remove an endobronchial foreign body from an infant

Hesham Elsharkawy  1 , Alaa A Abd-Elsayed  2 , Rami Karroum  3
Affiliations
Case Reports

Management challenges in the passing-through technique using a fogarty catheter to remove an endobronchial foreign body from an infant

Hesham Elsharkawy et al. Ochsner J. 2015 Spring.

Abstract

Background: Foreign body aspiration (FBA) is a potentially life-threatening condition in children, and removal of an aspirated bead can be difficult.

Case report: An 11-month-old male infant presented with a history of choking 6 days prior to admission. FBA was suspected, and initial examination revealed a bead occluding the left main bronchus. The surgeon tried to retrieve the foreign body, but the patient developed coughing episodes with desaturation. The patient was intubated and a bronchoscopy was performed with a flexible bronchoscope. A Fogarty catheter was passed through the bronchoscope and then advanced through the bead opening. The distal balloon was inflated, and the bead was removed as the Fogarty catheter was withdrawn.

Conclusion: We successfully removed an aspirated bead from an infant using the passing-through technique with a Fogarty catheter. Maintaining spontaneous ventilation for as long as possible and good coordination between the anesthesiologist and surgeon are crucial in such cases.

Keywords: Airway obstruction; bronchoscopy; catheters; foreign bodies.

PubMed Disclaimer

Conflict of interest statement

The authors have no financial or proprietary interest in the subject matter of this article.

Figures

Figure.
Figure.
Chest x-ray shows hyperinflation of left upper lobe, pushing the heart toward the right.
See this image and copyright information in PMC

References

    1. Soysal O, Kuzucu A, Ulutas H. Tracheobronchial foreign body aspiration: a continuing challenge. Otolaryngol Head Neck Surg. 2006 Aug;135(2):223–226. - PubMed
    1. Good GM, Deutsch ES. Method for removing endobronchial beads. Ann Otol Rhinol Laryngol. 1998 Apr;107(4):291–292. - PubMed
    1. Centers for Disease Control and Prevention. Nonfatal choking-related episodes among children—United States, 2001. MMWR. Morb Mortal Wkly Rep. 2002; 51(42):945. - PubMed
    1. Mantor PC, Tuggle DW, Tunell WP. An appropriate negative bronchoscopy rate in suspected foreign body aspiration. Am J Surg. 1989 Dec;158(6):622–624. - PubMed
    1. Reilly JS, Cook SP, Stool D, Rider G. Prevention and management of aerodigestive foreign body injuries in childhood. Pediatr Clin North Am. 1996 Dec;43(6):1403–1411. - PubMed

Publication types

LinkOut - more resources