A foreign body in the airway is an object that does not belong in the airway. It can be any unwanted object lodged in the airway. A foreign body stuck in the airway can cause serious problems, for example pneumonia or even sudden apnea. If the stuck foreign body cannot be removed immediately, then prompt medical treatment is necessary.
A foreign body in the airway occurs when an object is put or stuck inside the airway accidentally or voluntarily. A foreign body means anything that is not supposed to be in the airway, for example, food, coins, marbles, pins, buttons, insects and even vomit and fluids. A foreign body stuck in the airway can happen to people at any age.
Small pieces of food, toys, pins, dirt and other tiny parts are the common objects that can be put or stuck inside the airway. Sometimes when people are unconscious, vomit, blood, or any other fluid can also pour into the airways. Such an accident can happen to people at any age; however, children have a higher risk of experiencing this problem due to their curiosity. A foreign body in the upper airway can cause choking due to obstruction of the trachea. Therefore, people may respond by coughing or having difficulty breathing. Furthermore, if the condition worsens, it can also lead to loss of consciousness and apnea. A foreign body in the deeper airways can cause complications such as pneumonia, bronchitis, bronchospasm, pneumothorax, broncho-esophageal fistula and bronchiectasis.
The treatment of a foreign body stuck in the airway is mainly done by removing the stuck object as soon as possible. If somebody is choking then abdominal thrusts is the first aid procedure that should be performed immediately. If coughing or abdominal thrusts will not remove the foreign body from the airway, then prompt medical help is necessary. The foreign body will then be removed by bronchoscopy. In severe cases, surgery such as a tracheotomy may be necessary to remove the stuck foreign body from the airways.
Several years of work in academia, medical practice and finally commercialization make it possible to provide an end-to-end process to help users to “find the appropriate medical help based on their present symptoms”. Below you will find a short explanation, showing you which part of the platform will help you best in finding the appropriate medical support.
Proceed as follows to enter your current symptoms.
Click on the appropriate body part on the picture. Select one/multiple symptoms corresponding to your complaint.
You can also add symptoms by typing your medical complaint in the search box and selecting the best matching suggestion.
Note: Your information will be kept anonymously.
Once you have selected all applicable symptoms, click the “analyze disease pattern”-button.
Accordingly, you will get a list of possible diseases and matching doctor categories who can further help you.
You can inform yourself about the possible diseases by reading the related information. But you can also return to the previous step and add more symptoms or delete already added ones to further narrow down your disease pattern.
Click on the desired doctor category to find a doctor who can help you.
If you are logged in with your profile, you will be displayed the appropriate doctors in your area. Otherwise you can enter an address in the “address” field and you will be displayed a doctor’s list around that specified address.
You will receive further information about the displayed doctors when you press on “details”.
Online bookable doctors in your area will be indicated with the notation “Book appointment” or “Book externally”, additionally they will be displayed on top of the list for your convenience.
Click on “Book appointment” to start the online appointment booking process with the desired doctor.
Please select an available appointment. “Green“ appointments are booked directly. “Red“ appointments need to be confirmed by the doctor.
Enter your general personal and health information.
Enter your present medical symptoms.
Enter your mobile phone number to identify yourself and you can finalize the appointment booking.
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