What to do if a foreign body gets into the respiratory tract, esophagus, ear or nose? Danger of foreign elements entering the organs and respiratory tract. The seed has entered the lungs.

Bronchitis is not always noticeable on fluorography; it can be determined by a number of indirect signs. Doctors resort to other, more accurate research methods in order to diagnose the disease in time and prescribe effective treatment. Timely diagnosis of diseases of the bronchi and lungs prevents complications of the pathology.

Description of the disease

Bronchitis is an inflammation of the mucous membrane lining the bronchi from the inside. Typical disease causes swelling of the mucous membrane and the appearance of pathological discharge, in the form of mucus, on the walls of the bronchi. With stenosis, breathing becomes difficult and the volume of air entering the lungs is reduced.

Often bronchitis is a consequence of acute respiratory viral infection, treatment of which was started too late, or therapy was not carried out to completion. This complication appears after ARVI no more than once a year, and in more frequent cases they speak of chronic obstructive bronchitis. Sometimes the disease occurs due to work in hazardous industries associated with increased dustiness of the premises.

Signs of bronchitis are primarily difficulty breathing, deterioration general condition, increased body temperature, spasms, wheezing in the throat.

However, these signs are also given by other pathologies, for example, cardiac ones. To diagnose the inflammatory process in the bronchi, doctors prescribe additional examinations that allow a clear diagnosis.

Who is the examination indicated for?

Indications for undergoing x-ray examination of organs chest a doctor suspects a pathology based on subjective data. If the patient has signs of abnormality, it makes sense to take an x-ray. It is recommended for the following patients:

• patients with elevated body temperature and general malaise;
• with difficulty breathing, attacks of suffocation, shortness of breath;
• if you suspect chronic bronchitis of a smoker with characteristic symptoms;
• if the patient has an atypical whistle or wheezing in the lungs or bronchi;
• long time a severe cough persists (dry, hysterical, or with sputum);
• severe respiratory failure ( shallow breathing, decrease in lung volume, etc.);
• if necessary, monitor the patient’s health after treatment.

If these symptoms are present, doctors recommend undergoing an x-ray examination. X-rays are also prescribed to differentiate bronchitis from pneumonia, which is often difficult using other research methods.

X-ray diagnostics are also used if complications arise that cannot be visualized by other methods. For example, obstruction, in which the bronchi are clogged with pathological discharge - mucus, which disrupts normal gas exchange in the lungs.

X-ray of the lungs

Complications that arose as a result of it. If the patient has a direct inflammatory process in the bronchi, the following features will be noticeable in the image:

Other signs

In addition to typical signs, such as decreased root structure, increased pulmonary pattern and thickening of the bronchi, other image descriptions are possible. For example, the image will show the curvature of the bronchi along their course, which is associated with the development of the inflammatory process and swelling.

Bronchitis on x-ray is characterized by the proliferation of connective tissue formations on the walls of the bronchi, as well as on the outside. The picture of complications may also be typical:

• bronchial obstruction (the presence of bronchial blockage, which is visualized as light “peas”);
• emphysema - transparent lungs due to air accumulated in them, which allows x-rays to pass through.

Additionally, the diagnosis is established by the abnormal condition of the diaphragm.

Fluorography or x-ray

Diagnosis of the chest organs using x-ray or fluorography is often carried out. Fluorography is considered a simple and less harmful research method, so it is recommended for prevention purposes, and in some countries it is legalized. In Russia, fluorography has been used for this purpose since the thirties of the last century. Using this method, large masses of the population were examined to identify tuberculosis and pneumonia (pneumonia).

Today, fluorography puts significantly less burden on the patient. The study is performed as traditional method, by taking an image of the lungs on film, and digitally, when the image is displayed on a monitor. The latter, more modern method, made it possible to further reduce the harmfulness of the radiation dose. Please note that indications for fluorography include the following:

• the patient has HIV;
• registration for military service;
• diagnostics of the environment living with a pregnant woman;
• initial visit to the clinic.

As can be seen from the indications for fluorography, they are preventive and are not associated with certain pathologies. Even tuberculosis and pneumonia on fluorography will require additional, more careful study using other methods of radiation diagnostics.

If bronchitis is suspected, fluorography turns out to be uninformative, so patients undergo radiography. Indeed, the dose of such a study will be much higher than with fluorography, however, the clarity of the resulting image allows an accurate diagnosis to be made. Indications for the study are suspicions of specific abnormalities, such as cancer of the chest organs, pneumonia, tuberculosis, etc.

Additional Research

X-rays are usually sufficient to make the diagnosis. Bronchitis in the picture is clear and beyond doubt. However, if concomitant pathologies are detected, it may be necessary additional research other radiation diagnostic methods:

All these techniques have a certain diagnostic value and allow you to establish the correct diagnosis.

Diagnosis of bronchitis using radiation research methods is the most accurate way to determine the presence of pathology, its severity, possible complications.

The main study today is radiography, and, if necessary, bronchoscopy with a contrast agent, which are carried out in any modern clinic.

40-year-old Oksana Trotsenko lives in Chernigov, works as a salesperson at the Station market. When she was two years old, she grabbed a handful of black seeds and swallowed them all. The seeds entered the right lung. At the hospital, Oksana made an incision on her right side and took out the seeds. But there was only one left. Oksana lived with her for thirty years - from two to thirty-two. She took the cut out and preserved seeds to her mother in Bakhmach. There were two small scars on the ribs. On the back, near the shoulder blade, there is a scar ten centimeters long. A third of the lung had to be removed. In severe frosts, Oksana does not go to work. He is afraid of catching a cold in his lungs.


“The surgeon began to tell me that he had already performed such an operation on a little girl. So it was me!”

— I come from Bakhmach. I felt so bad that the Bakhmach doctors sent me to Chernigov,” recalls Oksana Trotsenko. “Everyone thought I had pneumonia.” They treated him for it. Later they determined that I had seeds in my right lung. The lung began to fester.

I had surgery. The tubes were inserted into the side. Along with the pus, several seeds with shells came out. But apparently there was only one left. She got stuck near the bronchi. Nobody noticed her. I lived with her for thirty years.

Eight years ago it became bad. I went with high temperature. Throat bleeding began. She was coughing up blood. I was very scared. I thought it was tuberculosis. I had fluorography done several times. She didn't show anything. The tests were good. For two years I could not be diagnosed. Then they did a bronchoscopy. That's when they noticed that I had a small tumor. Both in childhood and eight years ago, the operation was performed by Ilya Kolesnik, a surgeon from a tuberculosis clinic.

The incision was made from the back. About ten centimeters long. At the beginning of the operation, Ilya Ilyich thought to cut out only the tumor. But then he decided to cut out a third of his lung. So that after a couple of years it doesn’t start to fester. I made an incision where the tumor was. And there is a seed. After the operation, he began to tell me that he had already performed such an operation on a little girl. I told him it was me.

— Has the seed in your lungs begun to sprout?

- No. So it lay there. They put it in alcohol for me. I took it home. Then she took me to Bakhmach and gave it to my mother. I thought all my troubles were behind me, no more operations. I went to get checked. And suddenly the diagnosis was congenital heart disease. I had two operations on my lung, my appendicitis was removed, I had surgery for... ectopic pregnancy, I gave birth on my own. And none of the doctors noticed any heart problems. I’ll go to Kyiv, in case this diagnosis is not confirmed.

"Very hard to detect"

It is very difficult to detect the seed. It is impossible to determine it even from an x-ray. On computed tomography you can see that there is some kind of formation in the lungs.

The seed is small. When it hit the lung, it went very far. It is not sterile, so inflammation occurred. This inflammation caused the tumor. Initially, we wanted to remove the tumor.

You can live with a seed for many years and even your whole life.

In my younger years, I removed war shrapnel from my lungs. The man had a shrapnel in his lung since 1941. And I deleted it somewhere in the seventies.

In our tuberculosis dispensary we even had a museum of foreign bodies that I took out of my lungs. A foreign body can persist in the lung for years. It is encapsulated in the body. If you pull it out and it comes into contact with oxygen, it turns to dust in four months.

He took out a small bullet from his lung. The guy said that he was playing with a traumatic weapon and accidentally shot himself in the chest. The difficulty of this operation was that the bullet, like the seed, was very difficult to find.

Recently a guy from the Lviv region came to see me. He is now over forty years old. I operated on him when he was 12. We were climbing around a construction site. A concrete wall fell on his chest. The chest was very damaged. The bronchus was torn off, the ribs were broken, the subclavian artery was damaged. I was invited to operate on him first city ​​hospital. Such operations were almost never done before. In the city I was the only one who specialized in such pathologies. The operation lasted about eight hours. We examined him in the fall. Now he is completely healthy.

Yulia Semenets, Victoria Tovstonog, "News" No. 8 (588) dated February 20, 2014

Allows you to see the true picture in the lungs and differentiate the diagnosis from related pathologies. This speeds up the diagnostic process and increases the chances of successful treatment. Therefore, when you schedule this examination, you should not refuse it. It is absolutely safe and brings benefits, not harm.

Indications for use

If bronchitis is suspected, chest X-ray is prescribed in several cases. These include:

• confirmation of diagnosis in children;
• cases differential diagnosis bronchopneumonia and bronchitis;
• signs of obstruction (narrowing of the lumen of the bronchi), leading to respiratory failure;
• cough of any kind for more than 10 days;
• lack of positive dynamics from the treatment;
• control of the therapeutic effect of drugs.

If one of the listed conditions is present, the doctor prescribes an x-ray diagnosis. This allows you to avoid serious complications and make a correct diagnosis in time.

X-rays for bronchitis are performed in a straight projection while standing. This allows you to most accurately assess the picture in the lungs. If questions remain after a direct photograph, it is also performed in a lateral projection. When analyzing a radiograph, several signs are assessed:

• foci of “clearing” and “darkening”, except for physiological shadows and light areas;
• degree of pulmonary pattern;
• increased airiness of the lungs;
• condition of the root of the lung (a bundle of vessels and nerves together with the main bronchus).

The pulmonary pattern is normally almost invisible. Its severity increases with extensive inflammation. On an x-ray of the lungs, the change in pattern appears symmetrically.

If there are foci of clearing or darkening, the diagnosis of “bronchitis” is removed and further differential diagnosis is carried out. During the inflammatory process, the root of the lung becomes more pronounced. This confirms that the patient has bronchitis.

Differences between acute and chronic forms on an x-ray

X-ray of the chest organs with acute bronchitis uninformative, since the changes are insignificant and are not reflected in the image. But this is only in the absence of complications. If there are signs of obstruction and increasing respiratory failure, an x-ray examination is mandatory to clarify the diagnosis.

Manifests itself in photographs of the lungs and acute form. When conducting an x-ray examination, the presence of signs is noted:

• increased airiness and transparency of the lungs;
• blood stagnation in the lungs;
• the presence of obstruction (narrowing of the bronchial lumen).

With long-term bronchitis, thickening of the walls of the bronchial tree occurs, associated with chronic inflammation. Because of this, sclerosis of the respiratory tract occurs, especially pronounced at the root of the lung. Against this background, the pulmonary pattern intensifies. It is so easy to distinguish a chronic process from an acute obstructive one using x-rays.

Carrying out x-rays in children

Many parents doubt whether to agree to an x-ray. But this study is necessary for obstruction, which often occurs in children. This is due to the structural features of the child’s respiratory system, in which inflammation from the upper tract quickly descends into the lungs.

For obstruction, x-ray is necessary

The amount of X-rays passing through the baby during the examination is absolutely safe. They will not affect the condition of other chest organs. The study itself is carried out in the presence of the child’s parent.

Since many children are unable to withstand medical procedure without movement, they are fixed in a special device. Next to the baby is one of the parents wearing an apron, which protects the adult’s body from radiation. The parent holds the child so that he is motionless. The procedure takes less than a minute, so it does not cause much discomfort.

Since not all children tolerate medical manipulations calmly, due to a reaction to the examination or insufficient immobility, flattening of the diaphragm occurs in the photographs. This does not refer to signs of pathology and is not considered by doctors when making a diagnosis.

Lung X-ray remains the most popular method of differential diagnosis. It allows you to identify obstructions related to dangerous conditions, and also see the changes that have arisen against the background of chronic inflammation.

At respiratory diseases accompanied by a cough, doctors often prescribe an X-ray of the lungs. This additional method research helps confirm or refute the diagnosis. What changes do doctors look for in the image? How accurately is bronchitis visible on fluorography?

Bronchitis is an inflammation of the mucous membrane of the bronchial tree.

Inflammation is accompanied by swelling, tissue hardening, and narrowing of the respiratory lumen. The disease can occur in the following forms:

1. Spicy. It is characterized by an abrupt onset and improvement in the condition after about a week.
2. Chronic. Has erased symptoms that bother the patient for a long period of time.
3. Obstructive. It is characterized by a severe course with episodes of suffocation and paroxysmal coughing.

Radiation examination methods (X-ray and fluorography) serve only as an addition to the diagnosis.

1. Clinical picture.
2. Noises when listening.
3. Blood test results.
4. Sputum culture results.

With bronchitis, an x-ray shows that in the respiratory tract changes are happening. Classically the picture should look like this:

1. Soft tissues appear in gray.
2. Bones that absorb radiation glow white.
3. Air cavities allow rays to pass through and are visible as black areas.

During the inflammatory process, tissue density changes, and the doctor can see changes characteristic of pneumonia, tuberculosis or bronchitis.

• pregnant women;
• children under 15 years of age.

What can be seen on an x-ray

Radiation methods do not show the inflammatory process itself. However, by changing the classic pattern you can confirm the presence of pathology and see its location.

This is especially important when x-rays are prescribed to differentiate bronchitis and pneumonia. What does fluorography look like if there are indirect signs of bronchitis in the image:

1. Infiltration areas.
2. Change in fabric density.
3. Strengthening the pulmonary pattern.
4. Thickening of the walls of the bronchi.
5. Changes in the lower part of the lungs, in particular the appearance of air cavities.

Obstructive bronchitis on x-ray as follows:

1. Increased transparency of the alveoli.
2. Thickening and shift of the diaphragm.
3. The presence of stagnation due to circulatory disorders in the small circle.
4. Changes in the roots of the bronchial tree during severe forms diseases.

Thus, the image can really show complicated forms of the disease or help differentiate similar diagnoses. In the picture of fluorography or x-ray experienced doctor will see enough changes to understand which one pathological process occurs in the body.

Fluorography or x-ray

These methods are very similar and are often used interchangeably. However, many doctors prefer x-ray examination for such reasons:

1. A more modern method.
2. More accurate results.

There is an opinion among patients that fluorography is safer than x-rays of lungs. On the one hand, the radiation dose is really less. On the other hand, exposure to radiation from an X-ray machine does not exceed the acceptable health limit, but can show a greater number of problems in the respiratory tract. For example, shadows of 2 mm are visible on an x-ray, and shadows of 5 mm are visible on a fluorogram. The second method is preferable to use for preventive purposes.

Common Conclusions

Based on the nature of the changes, the doctor makes a conclusion or makes a preliminary diagnosis. For those who doubt whether bronchitis is visible on fluorography, The following examples of interpretation of the results are given:

1. An increase in pulmonary pattern is observed during acute inflammation. This may be a pathology of both the bronchi and the lungs.
2. Deformation of the roots of the bronchial tree indicates bronchitis and possible tissue destruction.
3. Heavy roots in the picture are often observed in smokers.
4. Patchy opacities may indicate tuberculosis or pneumonia, depending on the location.
5. Changes in the diaphragm are observed in patients with obesity, pleurisy or hereditary pathology.
6. Displacement of the shadows of the mediastinum requires a more thorough additional examination. The cause may be uneven accumulation of fluid, air, or the appearance of tumors.

It is difficult for an ordinary person to understand what bronchitis looks like in a photograph. Everyone's task– just undergo annual preventive examinations, and also take an X-ray if necessary acute period diseases. ? Lack of timely treatment easily contributes to the transition of one disease to another.

Traditional methods of treatment

To treat viral bronchitis, the following methods are popular:

1. Warming treatments. The bathhouse is popular among adults, as it helps increase blood circulation and defeat the disease at the very beginning. In children, a similar effect can be achieved by applying warming ointments, mustard plasters, and using pepper plaster. Compresses have a good effect. Or will help increase the body's defenses and get rid of the cause.
2. Herbal tinctures and teas. When coughing, it is important to use products that have an antispasmodic and expectorant effect. These have proven themselves well medicinal plants, like marshmallow, coltsfoot, thyme, plantain.
3. Inhalations. Moisturizing the mucous membrane of the respiratory tract, even ordinary mineral water or saline solution can reduce the inflammatory process and significantly speed up recovery.

Prevention

A healthy person should constantly take care of the condition of the respiratory tract. Maintaining local immunity is not at all difficult:

1. Maintain moist and cool indoor air conditions.
2. Eat healthy and fortified foods.

Violations respiratory activity when hit foreign body into the respiratory organs and tracts medical name– aspiration.

Most often, children of primary preschool age are hospitalized with this diagnosis. This is due to the fact that while playing, children are interested in tasting their favorite toys. The little ones put everything in their mouths that comes to hand, which is why, in order to protect the child from danger, it is necessary to exclude all toys with small parts from the children's room.

IN childhood the danger is that the child cannot always explain what happened. And in the absence of pronounced symptoms, the fact that a foreign matter enters Airways It is determined when concomitant diseases develop.

Objects in the lungs completely or partially block the bronchial lumen, disrupting the movement of air, causing inflammation and purulent processes in the pulmonary tract.

The size of the foreign body determines where it will go: into the trachea, bronchi or lungs. Next, we’ll look at the dangers of objects getting into the respiratory system and what to do in this case.

Why are foreign bodies in the lungs dangerous and how to recognize the condition?

In most cases, foreign bodies enter the right-sided bronchi and lungs. This is due to the large volume of the right lung and its location. Particles deposited in small bronchial branches rarely cause significant symptoms.

Most often, a rare cough is observed, which is attributed to a cold.

This condition is difficult to diagnose, and is dangerous because foreign particles can completely block the bronchial lumen.

Even if a person feels relatively normal immediately after a foreign body enters the lungs, the following symptoms develop over time:

The worst sign is the absence of a cough, which means that a foreign body has completely blocked the airways.

When the particles are large enough, they can completely block the air supply to the lungs, which can lead to fatal outcome. Symptoms of a life-threatening condition:

1. The complexion changes, acquiring a red or blue tint.
2. Inability to take a breath.
3. Sudden onset of paroxysmal cough.
4. The patient is holding his throat.
5. Hoarseness, complete loss of voice.
6. Whistling breathing.
7. Dyspnea.
8. Loss of consciousness.

Objects with an uneven surface are more likely to be swallowed than others. inflammatory process, since mucus is retained on them, bacteria settle, and they can injure the bronchial tract. Foreign proteins cause allergic reactions and local inflammatory processes.

The greatest danger comes from food particles that can decompose into smaller grains. Only a doctor will tell you what to do if food gets into the respiratory system. Its extraction is more difficult, and the particles decompose very quickly, causing purulent inflammation.

When a foreign body enters the bronchial tract, the following diseases develop:

1. Emphysema.
2. Obstructive bronchitis.
3. Pulmonary edema.
4. Pneumonia.
5. Purulent pleurisy.
6. Lung abscess.
7. Bronchiectostasis.

If foreign objects are in the small bronchial passages, mechanical damage, infection and proliferation of lung tissue are possible.

To avoid this, if you suspect aspiration, you must contact a pulmonologist, who, after conducting a diagnosis, will determine whether there is a foreign body in the respiratory tract or not.

Diagnosis and treatment

First of all, diagnosis is based on the victim’s complaints. If it concerns a child, then on the stories of adults about what happened. If the fact of aspiration was not noticed, then without the presence of external symptoms, diagnosis can be difficult.

First, the patient's breathing is listened to; the doctor may hear: wheezing, whistling, weakened or harsh breathing. If the bronchial lumen is completely blocked, the specialist will not hear anything. Next, the following diagnostic methods are prescribed:

1. Radiography.
2. X-ray.
3. Endoscopy.

X-rays do not always show objects and food that have entered the respiratory tract. This may be due to X-ray leakage or severe swelling in the lungs that obscures the foreign body.

The most accurate diagnostic method is endoscopy. Depending on the condition and age of the patient, the procedure can be performed under local or general anesthesia.

For children, endoscopy is performed only under general anesthesia. Another diagnostic method is chest MRI, but it is used extremely rarely due to the high cost of the procedure.

Urgent actions

What should you do first if you have aspiration? If a foreign body enters the respiratory tract, the patient's condition should be assessed. If he is conscious and not choking, he needs to clear his throat well. If you suspect that particles may have remained in respiratory system need to call ambulance or go to the hospital emergency room yourself.

If the cough after aspiration is accompanied by shortness of breath and cyanosis on the face, the following assistance should be provided:

It is forbidden to knock on the back in a vertical position, as this will cause the particles to sink even lower! Particular care should be taken when handling children. If round, flat objects hit, the child can be turned upside down and knocked on the back, perhaps the object will fall out on its own.

Health care

In any case, entry of a foreign body into the lungs and bronchi requires medical intervention. Therefore, at the first signs of aspiration, it is necessary to call an ambulance, and, while waiting for it, help the patient remove the object from the respiratory tract.

Treating aspiration means removing foreign particles from the airways. If foreign particles enter the larynx, it is possible to remove the foreign body manually or using laryngoscopy. If a foreign body is found in the trachea, a tracheoscopy procedure is performed.

The greatest difficulty in removing a foreign body is bronchoscopy - extraction fine particles from the bronchi and bronchial tracts. Often this procedure has to be repeated several times, especially if the object is very crumbly, for example, if food has entered the respiratory tract.

So that there won't be any left negative consequences aspiration, you should consult a doctor immediately if you suspect that particles have entered the lungs.

During endoscopic intervention, in addition to removing the foreign body, pus and mucus accumulated in the bronchial lumens are sucked out. In some cases, a piece of lung tissue is taken for a biopsy, since the development of benign and malignant formations is possible. After removing the object from the respiratory tract, further treatment is based on eliminating the consequences of aspiration - anti-inflammatory treatment.