Coughing for 30 minutes because a fish bone got into the airway

On August 29, MSc.BS.CK2 Nguyen Quang Tu, Head of the Department of Surgery, Ho Chi Minh City Ear, Nose and Throat Hospital, said that endoscopy under anesthesia removed a piece of fish bone about 1.5 x 2 cm long located in the patient’s trachea, above the carina – the location where the trachea divides into two main bronchi. After removing the foreign object, the patient was treated to prevent infection and was just discharged from the hospital.

According to Dr. Tu, if foreign objects in the airway are not detected and treated promptly, they can cause many complications such as pneumonia, pneumothorax, mediastinitis, abscess, and even death.

Dr.BS.CK2 Nguyen Thanh Vinh, Deputy Director of the hospital, said that when a foreign object enters the airway, the patient may develop intrusion syndrome with symptoms such as choking cough, cyanosis, difficulty breathing, and prolonged breathing. However, not all cases have aggressive manifestations from the beginning.

Some cases of forgotten foreign objects may only cause prolonged coughing, chest pain, persistent coughing up blood or recurring pneumonia. Patients who have been treated in many places but do not improve should be considered for the possibility of a foreign body in the airway.

Doctors recommend not laughing or talking while eating or drinking; Do not force your child to eat or drink while crying. Young children also need to limit contact with small toys, objects with many separate parts and practice the habit of not sucking on pen tips, pen caps, trumpets…

For adults who are bedridden or have limited mobility, caregivers need to be especially careful during feeding to avoid choking, swallowing or inhaling foreign objects.