Rigid tracheobronchoscopy in the management of airway foreign bodies: 10 years experience in Kosovo.

OBJECTIVES: To review the incidence of tracheobronchial foreign body aspiration in the population of Kosovo and to evaluate the clinical features and management of tracheobronchial foreign body aspiration during a 10-year period.

SETTING: Tertiary medical institution, ENT/Head and Neck Surgery Clinic, University Clinical Center, Prishtina, Kosovo.

METHODS: We retrospectively reviewed the medical records of patients with tracheobronchial foreign body aspiration who underwent rigid tracheobronchoscopy between January 1994 and December 2003.

RESULTS: During a 10-year period, 244 rigid tracheobronchoscopy procedures were performed when foreign body aspiration was suspected. In 182 patients (75%), a foreign body was found and extirpated. Of these, 107 (59%) were male and 75 (41%) were female; 124 patients (68%) were aged 0-3 years and 36 (20%) were aged 4-7 years. The most commonly extirpated foreign bodies were peanuts (30% of cases) followed by beans (22.5%) and corn kernels (9%). Of 176 plain chest radiographs, 65% showed no signs of foreign bodies. Two patients (1.1%) died as result of complications related to foreign body aspiration.

CONCLUSION: Rigid bronchoscopy represents a safe and effective tool in the management of foreign body aspiration. However, the high percentage of false-negative results on chest radiography in our series warrants further investigation.