Ear, nose & throat · UKMLA & AKT
Foreign body airway obstruction
A free high-yield preview for the UKMLA Applied Knowledge Test, covering how to recognise this condition. The full SA Note notes add investigations, management and complications, with practice questions on this topic.
Key high-yield points
- Sudden onset coughing/choking during eating or play
- Universal choking sign - hands clutched to throat
- Stridor - high-pitched inspiratory noise; partial obstruction
- Cyanosis - perioral/peripheral; signifies significant hypoxia
- Paradoxical (see-saw) chest/abdominal movement
Never slap a patient on the back while they are coughing effectively - this can convert a partial obstruction into a complete one.
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