Foreign body aspiration in an adult: An endobronchial "Melon-oma".

Foreign body (FB) aspirations in adults are relatively uncommon. The most commonly aspirated FBs in adults are organic, especially vegetable matter, peanuts, and fragments of bones. We report a rare case of a FB discovered in the left main bronchus of an adult male admitted to the intensive care unit. A 52-year-old male smoker with COPD presented to the emergency department with a two-day history of increasing dyspnea and cough. He was hypoxic and febrile with a temperature of 38°C. Auscultation revealed decreased breath sounds over the left lung and a few rhonchi on the right side. Chest x-ray showed left lung collapse. His condition rapidly worsened, and he was immediately intubated for acute respiratory failure. CT chest identified a large endobronchial mass obstructing the left main bronchus. Flexible bronchoscopy confirmed a soft and mobile brownish lesion in the left main bronchus. The histological appearance of the specimen retrieved was consistent with an organic foreign body. This was later identified as a melon chunk. It was removed successfully via flexible bronchoscopy by cutting it into smaller pieces to aid retrieval. FB aspiration can occur in all age groups but is less common in adults accounting for only 0.16%-0.33% of adult bronchoscopic procedures. Early detection of an aspirated FB is essential to avoid significant complications, morbidity, and mortality.