Foreign Body in the Larynx: A Case Report

Introduction: A foreign body stuck in the airway is an emergency situation, especially when it is found in children, the group most commonly affected. The larynx is not a common site of foreign body impaction and symptoms depends on the size and composition, location, and duration of impaction.

Objectives: This study aims to report a case of foreign body in the larynx.

Resumed Report: An 11-month-old female patient (M.F.S.) presented to a tertiary hospital with severe dyspnea and stridor. According to the mother, the symptoms had appeared 2 months ago and were initially accompanied by fever and productive cough, when the child was treated for 1 month in another hospital for community-acquired pneumonia, with partial clinical response. A month later, the patient underwent chest radiography and identification of foreign body in the topography of the neck, and then forwarded to the Hospital das Clinicas. Nasofibrolaryngoscopy was performed and a foreign body was visualized between the vocal folds, which were subsequently removed by direct laryngoscopy uneventfully. She was discharged after 2 days of hospitalization, with complete recovery of the general condition.

Conclusion: Reported a case of foreign body in the larynx of a child. Despite the delay in diagnosis, the conduct of the expert was essential for the patient's prognosis. It is important that the medical fraternity is aware of the presence of foreign body airway, since early diagnosis and intervention prevent a potentially fatal outcome.