title: Inhalation of a safety pin by a laryngectomized patient: a case report.
abstract: Otolaryngologists are well aware of the potentially devastating consequences of inhaling a sharp foreign body. We report here a case of a laryngectomized patient who accidentally inhaled a safety pin through his tracheal stoma under highly unusual circumstances. This proved to be a life-threatening situation which resolved only after a complicated hospital admission culminating in a thoracotomy. We use this case to suggest guidelines that otolaryngologists may wish to discuss with their laryngectomized patients with regard to stomal care.
authors.affiliation: Department of Otolaryngology, Mount Sinai Hospital, Toronto, Ontario, Canada.
authors.forename: D M
authors.initials: DM
authors.lastname: Finkelstein
authors.forename: A M
authors.initials: AM
authors.lastname: Noyek
authors.forename: J
authors.initials: J
authors.lastname: Friedberg
authors.forename: M
authors.initials: M
authors.lastname: Goldberg
mesh_terms: D000368:Aged; D001980:Bronchi; D005547:Foreign Bodies / Q000601:surgery; D006801:Humans; D007825:Laryngectomy; D008297:Male; D014139:Tracheostomy