Management challenges in the passing-through technique using a fogarty catheter to remove an endobronchial foreign body from an infant.

BACKGROUND

Foreign body aspiration (FBA) is a potentially life-threatening condition in children, and removal of an aspirated bead can be difficult.

CASE REPORT

An 11-month-old male infant presented with a history of choking 6 days prior to admission. FBA was suspected, and initial examination revealed a bead occluding the left main bronchus. The surgeon tried to retrieve the foreign body, but the patient developed coughing episodes with desaturation. The patient was intubated and a bronchoscopy was performed with a flexible bronchoscope. A Fogarty catheter was passed through the bronchoscope and then advanced through the bead opening. The distal balloon was inflated, and the bead was removed as the Fogarty catheter was withdrawn.

CONCLUSION

We successfully removed an aspirated bead from an infant using the passing-through technique with a Fogarty catheter. Maintaining spontaneous ventilation for as long as possible and good coordination between the anesthesiologist and surgeon are crucial in such cases.