title: Fatal airway obstruction caused by a mucous ball from a transtracheal oxygen catheter.
abstract: A 50-year-old man with pulmonary fibrosis and COPD presented with worsening cough, dyspnea, chest pain, and hypoxemia of no readily apparent etiology, approximately four weeks after insertion of a transtracheal oxygen therapy catheter. Despite vigorous bronchial hygiene therapy, the patient died. Autopsy revealed obstruction of the trachea by a large mucous ball. We point out the nonspecificity of physical and radiologic findings associated with this condition and suggest that serial flow-volume loop analysis or earlier use of fiberoptic bronchoscopy might have been of assistance in premortem diagnosis of the mucous plug.
authors.affiliation: Respiratory Services Department, Kettering Medical Center, Ohio 45429.
authors.forename: G G
authors.initials: GG
authors.lastname: Burton
authors.forename: F A
authors.initials: FA
authors.lastname: Wagshul
authors.forename: D
authors.initials: D
authors.lastname: Henderson
authors.forename: S W
authors.initials: SW
authors.lastname: Kime
mesh_terms: D000402:Airway Obstruction / Q000209:etiology* / Q000473:pathology; D006801:Humans; D007442:Intubation, Intratracheal / Q000009:adverse effects* / Q000295:instrumentation; D008297:Male; D008875:Middle Aged; D009092:Mucous Membrane / Q000473:pathology; D009093:Mucus; D010102:Oxygen Inhalation Therapy / Q000009:adverse effects* / Q000379:methods; D014133:Tracheal Diseases / Q000209:etiology / Q000473:pathology*