Removal of an aspirated open safety pin from trachea

Abstract

Swallowing of foreign bodies is a fairly common pediatric emergency. Children usually swallow foreign
objects into their bodies accidentally during playing. Foreign body in the trachea is a common condition
which may be life threatening. Foreign body in bronchus is usually managed by bronchoscopy, though
open surgical procedure may be rarely needed and sometimes it is life threatening. We report a case of
a 5 year old male child who accidentally inhaled an open safety pin. Bronchoscopy was done to localize
the site of the foreign body, but it was not possible to be removed by bronchoscopy as the pin was open.
Then, tracheotomy was done and foreign body was removed successfully. Tracheotomy stoma was closed
after the removal. Patient developed surgical emphysema within minutes of closure and presented with
difficulty in breathing with bradycardia, immediately surgeon explored the surgical site and reopen tracheostomy
site and the patient was managed successfully.