Blowgun dart aspiration.

We report on two young patients with unusual airway foreign bodies: blowgun darts. These homemade darts are constructed with yarn, thread, and a common pin. Because only the pin is radiopaque, and because the child may be reluctant to disclose the nature of the foreign body, the bronchoscopist may encounter unexpected difficulty in extracting the dart. A radiograph showing a pin head down in the trachea or bronchus, coughing (especially with hemoptysis) in excess of that expected from just an aspirated pin, and a child hesitant to divulge the full history suggest blowgun dart aspiration.