Foreign Body Inhalation in the Adult Population: Experience of 25,998 Bronchoscopies and Systematic Review of the Literature

BACKGROUND:

Foreign body aspiration is an uncommon entity in adults. Herein, we describe our experience with flexible bronchoscopy in the removal of tracheobronchial foreign bodies in adults. We also conducted a systematic review of the literature on the topic of foreign body inhalation in adults managed with flexible bronchoscopy.

METHODS:

The bronchoscopy database (from 1979 to 2014) was reviewed for subjects > 12 y of age with a history of foreign body aspiration managed with flexible bronchoscopy. Demographic, clinical, and bronchoscopy data were collected and analyzed. PubMed was reviewed for studies describing the use of flexible bronchoscopy for foreign body extraction in adults.

RESULTS:

During the study period, a total of 25,998 flexible bronchoscopies were performed. Of these, 65 subjects (mean age of 32.8 y, 49 males) were identified who had undergone bronchoscopy for foreign body aspiration. Nonresolving pneumonia (30.6%), direct foreign body visualization (24.6%), and segmental collapse (18.4%) were the most common radiological abnormalities. Foreign bodies were identified in 49 cases during bronchoscopy and successfully removed in 45 (91.8%) subjects with no major complications. Metallic (41%) and organic (25.6%) foreign bodies were the most common. Shark-tooth (44.9%) and alligator (32.6%) were the most commonly used forceps in retrieving the foreign bodies. The systematic review yielded 18 studies (1,554 subjects with foreign body inhalation). In adults, the proportion of flexible bronchoscopy (6 studies, 354/159,074 procedures) performed for the indication of foreign bodies among the total flexible bronchoscopies was 0.24% (95% CI 0.18–0.31). The overall success of flexible bronchoscopy (18 studies, 1,185 subjects) for foreign body extraction was 89.6% (95% CI 86.1–93.2).

CONCLUSIONS:

Foreign body aspiration is a rare indication for flexible bronchoscopy in adults. Flexible bronchoscopy has a high success rate in removal of inhaled foreign body and can be considered the preferred initial procedure for management of airway foreign bodies in adults.