Acute airway emergency caused by an organic foreign body located in the laryngeal mucosa

Organic material (e.g. nuts in children and bones or food in adults) is the most common foreign body inhaled by patients. Just one tenth of all foreign bodies in the airway are located in the larynx.[1] Laryngeal foreign bodies among adults are rarely seen but can be a life threatening event requiring immediate lifesaving intervention.[2,3] Here, we report an unusual case of a 56-year-old male patient presenting with sudden dyspnea due to a fulminant onset of massive laryngeal swelling. After securing the airway by tracheostomy, an organic foreign body (a fragment of the patient’s own teeth) was successfully removed by direct laryngoscopy under general anesthesia