Inhaled Live Fish—A Case Report

摘要

Foreign body inhalation is an emergency condition as it can cause sudden upper airway obstruction. It is rare in adults. They produce signs and symptoms initially which may progressively resolve and thus may be difficult to diagnose. Here, we report a rare case of inhalation of a live fish by a young fisherman. X-rays showed subcutaneous and mediastinal emphysema. Emergency tracheostomy was performed under local anesthesia. Patient, however, died the following day after the subcutaneous emphysema had spread all over the body. Bronchoscopy could not be done as the facility was not available at our centre. Postmortem showed parts of the fish at the carina of the trachea and both bronchi.