Da Nang: Removing foreign body from airway of 53-year-old patient after 5 months of prolonged cough

DNVN - On the afternoon of June 9, Da Nang Hospital announced that it had successfully intervened in a case of airway foreign body in an adult, affirming its specialized capacity in treating complex respiratory diseases using bronchoscopy under anesthesia.

The patient is Mr. Nguyen Van T. (53 years old, residing in Lang Co, Phu Loc district, Hue city) with a history of bronchial asthma, admitted to the hospital with a cough lasting more than 5 months with a lot of phlegm and chest pain. According to the story, about 5 months ago, Mr. T. got a fish bone stuck in his throat and had a strong cough during a meal. Because the symptoms were unclear, he did not go to the doctor.

BSCKII Hoang Thi Tam checks the health of patient Nguyen Van T after removing a foreign object from the airway.

When his cough became more severe, he went to a lower-level medical facility and was ordered a chest CT scan. The image showed a thin, high-density foreign body (about 300 HU), about 5mm in size, located in the intermediate bronchus of the right lung, about 32mm from the bifurcation of the trachea, with bronchial wall thickening, mucus plugs, and fibrous bands in the lung lobes.

The patient was transferred to Da Nang Hospital for further treatment. After performing paraclinical tests, doctors from the Department of Internal Medicine, Respiratory Medicine and Allergy Immunology ordered a flexible bronchoscopy under anesthesia. The results showed that the foreign object was a fish bone with three sharp edges, measuring 1.4 x 1.5 cm, located in the intermediate bronchus between the middle and lower lobes of the right lung.

The foreign object was safely removed, and examination showed no pus or secondary damage. After the procedure, the patient was conscious, cough and chest pain symptoms were significantly reduced, lungs were well ventilated, and was recovering steadily.

According to Dr. Hoang Thi Tam, Deputy Head of the Department of Internal Medicine, Respiratory - Allergy and Immunology at Da Nang Hospital, foreign bodies in the airways of adults are often overlooked due to atypical symptoms. "Many people forget about the incident after a choking attack, and only go to the doctor when their cough persists and pneumonia recurs. By then, the foreign body has been there for too long and caused complications," Dr. Hoang Thi Tam shared.

Fish bone fragment stuck in patient Nguyen Van T's airway

Since 2014, many cases of forgotten bronchial foreign bodies have been successfully treated by the Department of Internal Medicine and Respiratory Medicine at Da Nang Hospital using flexible endoscopy under anesthesia. Currently, the Department of Internal Medicine and Resuscitation has coordinated with the Department of Anesthesia and Resuscitation to routinely implement bronchoscopy under anesthesia, helping patients feel less pain and more comfortable, and supporting doctors to operate accurately and gently, shortening intervention time.

Not only applied to cases of foreign body removal, endoscopy under anesthesia is also indicated in cases of biopsy of suspected lung tumors, alveolar lavage, testing, etc., contributing to improving the effectiveness of diagnosis and treatment of respiratory diseases at Da Nang Hospital.

Dr. Hoang Thi Tam recommends that to prevent foreign bodies in the airway, adults should limit talking and laughing while eating; do not hold small objects such as toothpicks, safety pins, and ballpoint pens in their mouths. Elderly people and paralyzed patients should eat slowly, in the correct posture, and may need to puree their food. Absolutely do not let children play with small objects that are easy to swallow, or run or play around while eating. For fruits with seeds, remove them before feeding them to children.

When there are signs of suffocation or prolonged coughing, you need to go to a medical facility with a respiratory specialist for timely examination. In urgent cases, you can perform the Heimlich maneuver (a method of using the rescuer's hand pressure to create strong pressure in the airway, to push the foreign object blocking the trachea out of the upper respiratory tract) or call 115 for emergency help.

Hai Chau

Source: https://doanhnghiepvn.vn/tin-tuc/da-nang-lay-di-vat-duong-tho-cho-nguoi-benh-53-tuoi-sau-5-thang-ho-keo-dai/20250609104948064