An experience of subglottic airway foreign body removal in a patient under tracheal intubation: a case report

BACKGROUND: Removal of an airway foreign body is challenging to anesthesiologists. We report successful removal of an extremely rare foreign body between a tracheal tube and the trachea in patients under tracheal intubation. CASE PRESENTATION: A 57-year-old male received total aortic arch replacement and postoperative mechanical ventilation. An airway foreign body was detected just below the glottis, outside the tracheal tube during mechanical ventilation after surgery in the intensive care unit. Before the removal procedure, we planned multiple strategies to cope with unexpected airway and breathing troubles. As a result, the foreign body was successfully removed orally by using a bronchial fiber, without extubation of the tracheal tube, under general anesthesia with dexmedetomidine and ketamine. CONCLUSIONS: We reported the successful removal of a foreign body in the subglottic airway of a patient under tracheal intubation.