title: "Pills" and the air passages.
abstract: Aspiration of a medication in the airways in any form produces a variety of adverse effects, both local and systemic. Furthermore, specific reaction of the airways to each type of pill strongly affects the outcome. It is crucial for pulmonologists and emergency medicine specialists to acknowledge this clinical entity. In addition, airways have been increasingly used to deliver medications such as insulin and prostacycline. These aerosolized medications can also cause local as well as systemic side effects. We review the local and systemic reactions of these "pills" accessing the airways either by incidental aspiration or iatrogenic administration. We address clinical presentation, mechanism of injury, diagnosis, and management of complications of these pills in the air passages.
authors.affiliation: Baskent University School of Medicine, Pulmonary Diseases Department, Ankara, Turkey.
authors.forename: Elif
authors.initials: E
authors.lastname: Küpeli
authors.affiliation: Pulmonary & Critical Care Medicine, Respiratory Institute, Cleveland Clinic, Cleveland, OH.
authors.forename: Danai
authors.initials: D
authors.lastname: Khemasuwan
authors.affiliation: Yong Loo Lin School of Medicine, National University of Singapore, and Division of Respiratory and Critical Care Medicine, National University Hospital, Singapore.
authors.forename: Pyng
authors.initials: P
authors.lastname: Lee
authors.affiliation: Lerner College of Medicine, Respiratory Institute, Cleveland Clinic, Cleveland, OH. Electronic address: Mehtaa1@ccf.org.
authors.forename: Atul C
authors.initials: AC
authors.lastname: Mehta
mesh_terms: D000284:Administration, Oral; D000336:Aerosols / Q000009:adverse effects; D000402:Airway Obstruction / Q000139:chemically induced*; D001999:Bronchoscopy; D006801:Humans; D007049:Iatrogenic Disease; D004364:Pharmaceutical Preparations / Q000008:administration & dosage*; D011015:Pneumonia, Aspiration / Q000139:chemically induced*; D011208:Powders / Q000009:adverse effects; D053120:Respiratory Aspiration; D012137:Respiratory System / Q000187:drug effects*; D013607:Tablets / Q000009:adverse effects*
chemical_list: D000336:Aerosols; D004364:Pharmaceutical Preparations; D011208:Powders; D013607:Tablets