The sweet lung: Chewing gummi bear aspiration.
Inhalation of foreign bodies, a leading cause of accidental death, is most common in preschool children. In this article we report our experience with a 5-year-old Greek girl who presented with a 24-hour history of sore throat, chest pain, and shortness of breath. Emergency bronchoscopy was performed and multiple small chewing gummi bear (HARIBO) particles impacted in the orifices of the right main bronchus and right lobar and segmentalinic bronchi were successfully removed and aspirated. Aspiration of gummi bears, which is for the first time reported, may cause a silent choking episode leading to life-threatening bronchi obstruction at multiple sites, even in children older than 4 years.
Department of Pediatric Intensive Care, Heraklion University Hospital, University of Crete, Greece.
Theonimfi
T
Tavladaki
Michaela-Diana
MD
Fitrolaki
Anna-Maria
AM
Spanaki
Staurula
S
Ilia
Elissabet
E
Geromarkaki
George
G
Briassoulis