Life-Saving Cryoextraction for Acute Severe Respiratory Failure Caused by Cheese-Filled Fish Cake Aspiration: A Case Report.

A 79-year-old man with chronic obstructive pulmonary disease (COPD) aspirated cheese-filled Kamaboko, a Japanese fish cake, accidentally while having his lunch. He developed acute respiratory failure and presented to a referral hospital. Chest computed tomography (CT) revealed an aspirated fish cake in the right middle bronchus. After endotracheal intubation in the intensive care unit, the fish cake was successfully removed using a cryoprobe. Although foreign body (FB) aspirations are rare in adults, they can cause life-threatening respiratory dysfunction. Prompt removal of the FB using an appropriate removal device based on its characteristics is essential. Here in, we report the successful cryoextraction of an organic airway FB from a patient with severe respiratory failure.