Ph. Delesalle et al., OBSTRUCTION OF A LOBAR BRONCHUS BY A SUCR ALFATE TABLET - A RARE CAUSE OF ACUTE RESPIRATORY-FAILURE, Annales francaises d'anesthesie et de reanimation, 17(2), 1998, pp. 123-125
We report two cases of patients with chronic respiratory disease who e
xperienced an asphyxia after aspirating a sucralfate tablet that occlu
ded a lobar bronchus. In adults, a foreign body is a rare cause of acu
te respiratory failure from tracheobronchial occlusion. The sucralfate
tablet has the physical property of expanding rapidly when wet (conta
ct with mucosa). After aspiration, the tablet expands to a larger size
and can occlude a lobar bronchus, causing acute respiratory failure.
In patients at risk of aspiration, we recommend the use of sucralfate
in liquid or suspension form. (C) 1998 Elsevier, Paris.