Stone removed from patient's trachea - Photo: BSCC
On March 25, Mr. Vu Xuan Phu, deputy director of the Central Lung Hospital, shared that the hospital had just received emergency treatment for a victim with a rare tracheal foreign body.
A 72-year-old male patient had a history of a stroke 3 years ago, with left hemiplegia. He was still able to live independently at home. He was hospitalized with respiratory failure and decreased consciousness.
On the afternoon of March 24, family members discovered the old man lying on the floor, eyes open naturally, he responded to calls and questions, but was unresponsive, breathing rapidly, had difficulty breathing, wheezing in the neck area, and there were many small rocks and dirt scattered around.
The patient was taken to Hospital 354 for emergency treatment and a foreign object was discovered in the airway, then transferred to the Central Lung Hospital for emergency treatment.
At the Central Lung Hospital, the patient had decreased consciousness, severe difficulty breathing, progressive respiratory failure, high-altitude wheezing, agitation, and left-sided weakness.
The patient was diagnosed with respiratory failure, tracheal foreign body, and was monitored for a stroke. Paraclinical tests were also used to diagnose the condition.
"Through inference, it is possible that while sprinkling pebbles into the flower basket hanging on the terrace, the old man accidentally dropped two pebbles, causing them to fall into his airways. The smaller one fell into his stomach, and the larger one got stuck in his trachea, causing respiratory failure," said Dr. Phu.
The foreign object was then successfully removed from the trachea, the airway was clear, and there was no foreign object left below. The patient's clinical condition improved rapidly, with no more respiratory failure, much less difficulty breathing, and no more wheezing in the upper neck area.
According to Dr. Phu, the Central Lung Hospital has intervened and saved the lives of many patients with tracheal foreign bodies. One case included a longan seed that was lodged in the trachea because the patient did not spit it out in time; the foreign body was a piece of chicken bone in the trachea.
There are even cases where the foreign object is a nail stuck in the intermediate bronchus.
"Most of them are related to eating and working habits. Therefore, people need to pay attention to their daily activities, work, and eating habits to avoid unfortunate accidents that may occur," Dr. Phu advised.
Experts recommend that to prevent the risk of foreign bodies in the digestive tract, people need to pay attention while eating, eat slowly, chew thoroughly, avoid laughing and joking while eating, and lose concentration.
Avoid tough foods, tendons, skin, and foods with bones; cut food into small pieces and cook thoroughly for the elderly and children; be careful with meat and fish with bones that have not been thoroughly filtered.
In addition, you should give up the habit of chewing toothpicks after eating; when taking medicine, you should remove the blister pack before using; when having a drinking party, when drunk, you need to be very careful while eating and drinking.
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