For removal of a foreign body in the upper airway, which procedure is definitive and therapeutic?

For removal of a foreign body in the upper airway, which procedure is definitive and therapeutic?

• A. Flexible bronchoscopy
• B. CT scan
• C. Rigid bronchoscopy
• D. Observation

Answer: (C)

When a foreign body blocks the upper airway, the priority is to secure the airway and remove the object. Rigid bronchoscopy provides a controlled, secure airway and a large working channel that allows direct visualization, grasping, and extraction of the object under general anesthesia. This makes it both definitive (it directly removes the obstruction) and therapeutic (it treats the problem in one procedure, with airway protection and ventilation maintained throughout). Flexible bronchoscopy can assist with diagnosis and may retrieve some smaller objects, but it has a smaller channel and less airway control, making it less reliable for large or firmly lodged objects in the upper airway. CT scan only diagnoses and does not remove the obstruction, and observation leaves the obstruction in place with ongoing risk.

When a foreign body blocks the upper airway, the priority is to secure the airway and remove the object. Rigid bronchoscopy provides a controlled, secure airway and a large working channel that allows direct visualization, grasping, and extraction of the object under general anesthesia. This makes it both definitive (it directly removes the obstruction) and therapeutic (it treats the problem in one procedure, with airway protection and ventilation maintained throughout).

Flexible bronchoscopy can assist with diagnosis and may retrieve some smaller objects, but it has a smaller channel and less airway control, making it less reliable for large or firmly lodged objects in the upper airway. CT scan only diagnoses and does not remove the obstruction, and observation leaves the obstruction in place with ongoing risk.