News Release

CHEST Annual Meeting 2016 case reports: Objects that don't belong there

Peer-Reviewed Publication

American College of Chest Physicians

Case of the missing crucifix

Tuesday, October 25, 1:30 p.m., Exhibit Hall, Poster 209

A medical student from National Institute of Medical Science and Nutrition Salvador Zubiran, Mexico, will present a patient who swallowed an usual object that got stuck. A 46-year-old man with a history of multiple substance abuse came seeking attention because of difficulty swallowing. After a chest film revealed a t-shaped foreign object in his esophagus, doctors attempted an endoscopy to remove the metallic foreign body with no success. He underwent surgery to successfully remove the t-shaped object, a small metal crucifix. He was discharged uneventfully.

Remember to take the cap off

Tuesday, October 25, 1:30 p.m., Exhibit Hall, Poster 220

A medical student from University of Texas Health Science center at San Antonio will present an unusual case of foreign body inhalation. A 42-year-old man with a history of asthma came to the ED with shortness of breath and difficult speaking in full sentences, along with decreased breath sounds at his left lung base. Though a chest radiograph came up normal, a CT scan revealed an opaque object lodged in his left mainstem bronchus. The patient then admitted to accidently inhaling the cap of his asthma inhaler while attempting to remove it with his teeth. The cap was retrieved with bronchoscopy, and he recovered uneventfully.

Beware of flying objects

Tuesday, October 25, 1:30 p.m., Exhibit Hall, Poster 232

A medical student from Dr. Sampurnanand Medical College, India, will present a unique case of a penetrating neck injury and foreign body in the lung. A 20-year-old woman presented to the ED after an injury to the front of her neck. While chiseling stone with a hammer a chip broke loose at velocity and penetrated her neck. She was coughing and was short of breath, and only a raw neck wound was visible. A CT scan of the chest showed that the stone had dropped down to the right lower lobe of the lung. The medical team planned to retrieve the stone by bronchoscopy but didn't have the correct equipment. While waiting the patient coughed out the stone the next day.

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CHEST 2016 is the 82nd annual meeting for the American College of Chest Physicians, held October 22-26, 2016, in Los Angeles, California. The American College of Chest Physicians, publisher of the journal CHEST, is the global leader in advancing best patient outcomes through innovative chest medicine education, clinical research and team-based care. Its mission is to champion the prevention, diagnosis and treatment of chest diseases through education, communication and research. It serves as an essential connection to clinical knowledge and resources for its 19,000 members from around the world who provide patient care in pulmonary, critical care and sleep medicine. For more information about CHEST 2016, visit chestmeeting.chestnet.org, or follow CHEST meeting hashtag, #CHEST2016, on social media.


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