A 50 year old Jerusalem resident recently arrived at the emergency department of Shaare Zedek Medical Center after two months of worsening respiratory symptoms. He had been suffering from a persistent cough, rising inflammation markers and increasing shortness of breath that did not improve with medication. Only later did doctors discover the unexpected cause behind his condition: a thick chicken bone from soup that had been accidentally inhaled and lodged deep in his lung, fully blocking the opening of the right airway.
Why did the pneumonia fail to respond to treatment?
As the patient’s breathing became more difficult and his condition continued to deteriorate, the Pulmonary Institute at Shaare Zedek, led by Prof. Gabriel Izbicki, decided to perform an urgent bronchoscopy to understand the source of the problem. During the procedure, Dr Nader Abdel Rahman, head of the Bronchoscopy Unit, encountered a complete obstruction of the right lung. After clearing surrounding tissue, the surprising cause became visible: a large chicken bone wedged firmly inside the airway.
Dr Abdel Rahman explained that “we were surprised to find a large bone stuck in the lung, surrounded by tissue created by the body as a natural response to a foreign object. This added to the obstruction. The patient was in real danger and the situation could have ended differently.”
How did the medical team remove the blocked bone?
The patient, identified as A., said that he had struggled with an intense cough that sometimes made it difficult to breathe. “I could not handle it anymore,” he recalled. “When I arrived at Shaare Zedek and they explained the procedure, I was worried, but I trusted the doctors and nurses. I still cannot believe a bone entered my lung.”
His wife added that “I had never heard him cough like that. The team at Shaare Zedek did not stop until they found the cause and resolved it. Thanks to them, he is no longer coughing and feels completely fine.”
Doctors at the Pulmonary Institute note that despite common assumptions, foreign object aspiration does not occur only in children. “We are seeing more cases of adults who unknowingly inhale small objects,” Dr Abdel Rahman said. “The message is simple: when respiratory symptoms do not improve for a long time, a thorough evaluation is essential.”
