A Case of Delayed Diagnosis and Subsequent Foreign Body Expulsion in an Infant

A 9-month-old female infant presented to the emergency department with a 2-h history of sudden-onset respiratory distress that progressively worsened until presentation. She had been apparently well before the onset of symptoms. Chest X-rays were normal, and an urgent bronchoscopy revealed no foreign body but showed an area of hyperemia in the left main bronchus. The mother later reported that she had given the child a local groundnut cake (“Kuli-Kuli”) a few hours before the symptoms began. During admission, the infant developed fever with rhonchi and crepitations and was treated for bronchopneumonia. She was discharged after 5 days following complete resolution of symptoms. Two days later, the mother returned, reporting that the child had suddenly started coughing and expelled crumbs of the groundnut cake.

Keywords: Airway obstruction, choking, foreign bodies, infant