Old man with dental foreign body stuck in bronchus after dental implant

On November 26, Friendship Hospital informed that doctors from the hospital's Respiratory Department had just received and successfully treated a rare case of a bronchial foreign body, a 2.5 cm long metal dental instrument, which fell into the airway while doing dental implants at a private clinic.

A 78-year-old male patient was admitted to the hospital with a persistent cough that had increased in recent days.

According to the patient and his family, about two weeks ago, the patient had an implant procedure at a private dental clinic. During the procedure, the dentist informed him that an instrument was lost but the location was unknown.

The patient then developed a mild, persistent cough. On November 25, the cough worsened, prompting his family to take him to the hospital for an X-ray, which discovered a foreign object in his right bronchus, so they immediately transferred him to the Friendship Hospital.

At the hospital, the patient was assigned an emergency bronchoscopy to remove the foreign object. However, the process of removing the foreign object encountered many challenges as the foreign object was smooth, made of stainless steel, and large in size; the largest diameter was up to 1 cm, and the length was 2.5 cm.

To ensure maximum safety for the patient, the surgical team coordinated carefully to minimize the risk of bleeding, bronchial tearing or pushing the foreign object deeper. After much effort, the team successfully removed the foreign object intact.

Thanks to timely intervention, the patient is now conscious, has stable breathing, significantly reduced cough and is being monitored at the Respiratory-Allergy Department.

X-ray film of foreign object in the patient's body. (Photo: PV/Vietnam+)

Dr. Nguyen Tien Dung - Head of the Department of Allergy and Respiratory Medicine shared that if not detected early, such a large foreign object can cause many dangerous complications such as airway obstruction, pneumonia, lung abscess, and even life-threatening respiratory failure.

According to Dr. Dung, every year the Department receives cases of bronchial foreign bodies such as peanuts, fish bones, food pieces, etc. However, foreign bodies in the form of metal dental instruments are rare, high-risk situations and require quick coordination between the patient, the dental facility and the specialized hospital.

Doctor Nguyen Tien Dung recommends that medical staff should use airway protection (gauze, anti-drop devices) when performing dental procedures, especially implants. People should choose a reputable dental facility to ensure the safety of the procedure./.

(Vietnam+)

Source: https://www.vietnamplus.vn/cu-ong-voi-di-vat-nha-khoa-mac-trong-phe-quan-sau-trong-rang-implant-post1079400.vnp