Recurrent foreign body aspiration in the airways in a laryngectomized patient.

Foreign body aspiration into the tracheobronchial tree is not as common in adults as it is in children, and it is significantly related to several predisposing conditions that impair protective airway mechanisms. Laryngectomy with the consequent permanent tracheal stoma may represent a predisposing condition to foreign body inhalation via direct communication of the stoma with the external environment. Authors report the case of a patient who had undergone a laryngectomy and repeatedly aspirated the spray covers of pharmaceutical mucofluidificant solutions during the care of his stoma. The presence of a tracheal stoma could be a predisposing condition to potentially life-threatening foreign body inhalation in laryngectomy patients. The education of the patient in proper care of the stoma should be advised, including the risk of daily spraying maneuvers close to the stoma.