The pulmonology team at Shaare Zedek Medical Center saved the life of a patient in his 50s who was brought to the emergency department suffering from severe respiratory distress and pneumonia that had persisted for about two months without improvement despite prolonged drug treatment.
The patient, who arrived at the hospital with a severe cough and elevated inflammation markers, underwent a series of tests, after which the pulmonology team decided to perform examinations to determine the cause of the unusual persistence of the infection.
During the examination, Dr. Nader Abdel, head of the bronchoscopy unit, discovered that the opening of the right lung was completely blocked by a foreign mass. To the medical team's surprise, the mass turned out to be a large section of chicken bone, which had apparently been aspirated while drinking chicken soup.
According to Dr. Abdel, "We were surprised to find a large bone fragment stuck in the lung that caused a localized infection with surrounding tissue that increased the blockage. The body produces, as a natural reaction, a kind of sheath around the foreign object. The man was certainly in danger of death and could have, God forbid, even died."
The patient shared, "For a long time I suffered from a very strong cough that almost made me choke. I could no longer tolerate it. When I arrived at Shaare Zedek, and the doctors explained the procedure I would undergo, I was somewhat afraid, but it was a short procedure and I trusted the doctors and nurses a great deal. I cannot believe that a bone entered my lung."
The patient's wife added, "I had never heard such a cough. The nurses and doctors did not discharge him until they identified the problem and solved it. Thanks to their excellent work he no longer coughs and feels great."
Dr. Abdel noted that in recent years the staff of the pulmonology institute has observed an increase in the number of cases of adult patients who aspirate objects or foreign bodies into their lungs. "Contrary to the impression that only children swallow objects into their lungs, there are many cases of adults from whose lungs various objects and items have been removed, some without their knowing at all that they had something in their lungs," he said.