What are the symptoms of foreign matter in the lungs

Foreign bodies in the lungs refer to foreign bodies entering the lungs through the bronchi, or are a manifestation of self-proliferation of foreign bodies in the lungs. This has a relatively large impact on the patient's health. If it cannot be removed in time, it may cause incarceration and infection. The patient will experience symptoms related to gastritis, such as fever, chest pain, coughing and sputum, and even coughing up blood. Severe cases can lead to difficulty breathing and hypoxia.

symptom

If foreign objects enter the bronchi and lungs and are not removed in time, they may become incarcerated and infected, forming inflammatory granulation tissue and even causing long-lasting infections. Foreign body masses are often accompanied by severe infections, and patients with foreign bodies in the lungs may experience symptoms such as chest pain and fever.

Foreign bodies retained in the lungs often cause coughing, sputum, and hemoptysis. Foreign bodies in the trachea often cause severe choking coughs. Larger foreign bodies may immediately cause airway obstruction. Symptoms of foreign bodies in the lungs include dyspnea, hypoxia, and cyanosis. Examination may reveal the three-recess sign, and auscultation may reveal inspiratory wheezing in the trachea.

Causes

The causes of foreign bodies in the lungs include bullets, shrapnel, metal nails rebounded from nail guns, metal fragments, rock fragments, clothing strips, etc. These foreign bodies can remain in the pleural cavity and lungs. Foreign bodies in the trachea are often caused by aspiration, such as plastic pen caps, peanuts, beans, bones, etc. Iatrogenic foreign bodies include broken bronchographic catheters, etc. The long-term presence of foreign bodies in the lungs can cause bronchopleural fistula, lung abscess, atelectasis, bronchiectasis or fibrosis of lung tissue, with serious consequences.

Prevention and treatment

Treatment strategies

1. Foreign bodies in the lungs are often emergency cases. If there is difficulty breathing, the patient should be given oxygen, ECG monitoring and arterial blood oxygen analysis, and supplemented with crystalloid fluid, colloid and blood volume to maintain circulation stability. Antibiotics should be given to effectively prevent and control infection in the treatment of foreign bodies in the lungs.

2. The factors that influence the decision to remove a foreign body are the nature, size, shape and location of the foreign body and the degree of contamination caused by its penetration into the pleural cavity.

① It is generally believed that sharp foreign bodies close to the trachea, main bronchi, hilum, mediastinum, heart, and large blood vessels should be removed.

② Foreign bodies in the lungs that are larger than 1.5 cm in size, have sharp shapes, are severely contaminated, or have clinical symptoms should be actively treated surgically and removed early.

③ In some cases, the foreign body in the chest does not constitute an indication for surgery and can only be removed when the chest is opened for other injuries and it is convenient.

④ Foreign bodies in the trachea or bronchi should be removed with a bronchoscope, and surgical treatment should only be considered when they cannot be removed.

⑤ To remove foreign bodies, simple foreign body removal or lobectomy/segmentectomy can be chosen. For simple metal foreign bodies in the chest cavity and lungs, surgery for foreign bodies in the lungs can be performed by cutting the lung tissue to remove the foreign bodies and repairing the lung tissue after accurate positioning. Patients with retained foreign bodies leading to chronic lung abscess, atelectasis, bronchiectasis or foreign bodies embedded in the bronchi should undergo lobectomy or segmental resection.