The Mysterious Whistling Breath: Foreign Body Aspiration

Abstract

Foreign body aspiration is commonly seen in the pediatric age group and can be a life-threatening condition. Typical presentations include coughing, wheezing, and choking and can often masquerade as asthma causing misdiagnosis and treatment delay. Most of the time, the actual aspiration event is unnoticed, and patients may remain asymptomatic until they present with recurrent infections with or without positive radiological findings. Aspirated objects tend to migrate distally, and organic objects may induce edema and inflammation. Diagnosis is crucial as near-total or total obstruction of the airway may cause asphyxia and, subsequently, death if no immediate intervention is taken.