Foreign bodies in the lungs – What you should do

Introduction: What is a foreign body in the lungs?

In a foreign body aspiration, a foreign substance enters the lungs (usually unintentionally). This happens most frequently in children who, for example, “choke” while eating. Instead of the food getting into the oesophagus, it ends up in the windpipe, from where it enters the lungs. In adults, a foreign body aspiration usually occurs when they are unconscious or have difficulty swallowing. A foreign body is anything that does not belong in the lungs and is solid (not liquid or gaseous).

How to treat a foreign body in the lung

The therapy for foreign body aspiration must be adapted according to the symptoms. Most foreign bodies can be removed from the lungs by coughing. But especially when children choke, for example, the foreign bodies tend to get caught so that the child cannot cough them up.

Here, a pat on the back can help to loosen the foreign object. If this is not sufficient and if there is a shortness of breath, possibly even with the risk of suffocation, the child can be positioned so that the head points diagonally downwards. The foreign body can usually be loosened by (careful but targeted) blows on the back; gravity will transport it out of the airways.

Tapping on the back also helps adults. If the foreign body cannot be removed from the lungs in this way, an attempt is made to remove it during a bronchoscopy. A rigid tube is inserted into the trachea. At the tip are a small camera and instruments with which the foreign body can be removed. If this is not successful, surgical removal of the foreign body may be necessary in an emergency.

This is the prognosis for an aspirated foreign body

The prognosis is better, the faster the aspiration is noticed and the sooner the foreign body can be removed. With an adequate therapy, most foreign body aspirations end harmlessly and without sequelae. However, pneumonia (aspiration pneumonia), which is triggered by pathogens, can cause permanent lung damage. Even unconscious persons who aspirate a part of their gastric juice in addition to foreign bodies often suffer from an inflammation of the lung tissue afterwards. People who have chronic swallowing disorders and therefore choke more often usually have a chronic inflammation in the lungs, which gradually causes more and more damage to the lung tissue.