Airway obstruction by Ascaris, roundworm in a burned child

Ascaris lumbricoides, roundworm, is a Nematode parasite infecting about I b illion people worldwide. We report the case of a ten-year-old Bedouin girl hospitalized with burns to 45% of her body surface area, including the face . The patient: was intubated upon admission and mechanically ventilated. Fo ur days later she was extubated but required reintubation 15 min later for severe hypoxemia. Laryngoscopy disclosed an unidentified tube which obstruc ted the opening of the larynx. The 'tube' was removed by Magill forceps. Th e object was identified as a 35 cm long Ascaris roundworm. Once the worm wa s removed the patients' respiratory condition dramatically improved. We rev iew the main features of Ascaris infection and some similar cases of airway obstruction caused by this worm. (C) 1999 Elsevier Science Ltd and ISBI. A ll rights reserved.