A 43-year-old male was referred with a history of suspected aspiration of foreign body. The patient, a resident of Mumbai, experienced a sharp pain in his throat during an afternoon meal. As per his history, a fishbone was suspected to be stuck in his throat. Family members tried innumerable home remedies but to no avail. An emergency Bronchoscopy was planned in the evening. “As the patient was unwilling to undergo General Anesthesia we approached with a Flexible Bronchoscope via the nasal route. After screening the oropharynx and trachea we were unable to locate any foreign body. It was after extensive searching, that we could locate the abnormality – a long slender colourless needle-like structure which was impacted behind the root of the tongue anatomically called the Vallecula. Biopsy Forceps were used to grasp and remove the foreign body, finally identified as a fish bone. The patient was discharged within an hour much to the relief of his anxious family members.” – Dr Sameer Arbat, Interventional Pulmonologist. The procedure was successfully performed at Wockhardt Hospitals with the support of Anaesthetist Dr Avantika Jaiswal.
Wockhardt Hospitals Nagpur is equipped with advanced Interventional Pulmonology services like Cryobiopsy, Electrocautery, Rigid Bronchoscopy, Tracheal Stenting and Thoracoscopy under Dr Sameer Arbat, who is the pioneer of Interventional Pulmonology in Central India.
Challenges in this particular case –
- The foreign body was colourless and hidden in a crypt-like recess.
- Although thin, it was long and slender with both sharp edges tightly hooked into the mucosa.
- The patient was unwilling to undergo General Anesthesia thus warranting a quick entry and exit of the bronchoscope.
- Organic foreign bodies impacted in the mucosa are known to cause swelling and inflammation thus causing complications.
- No matter how small, a fish bone in the airway can pose a serious threat to a patient’s health.
