Choking due to fruit drink aspiration

Luv Sharma, Basant Lal Sirohiwal, Pramod Kumar Paliwal

Department of Forensic Medicine, University of Health Sciences, Rohtak, India.

DOI: 10.4236/fmar.2013.11001                

Abstract

A case of a fatal foreign material aspiration is presented in the following paper. During the autopsy, an orange colored mucus plug was noted in the trachea, which was completely occluding the lumen from mid-level downwards causing a lethal respiratory insufficiency. The bio-chemical and chemical analysis was positive for fructose; there was history of intake of a mango fruit drink just before induction for surgery. The anatomo-pathological exam of the lungs showed the signs of acute asphyxia (Microscopic examinations revealed atelectasia, emphysema, eosinophilic exudate and empty spaces).This case represents a rare lethal event related to the aspiration of a fruit drink in a child just prior to induction.

Keywords

Lethal Asphyxia; Complete Laryngeal Obstruction; Choking; Fruit Drink

Conflicts of Interest

The authors declare no conflicts of interest.

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