Foreign body aspiration mimicking croup syndrome: Case report

The term croup refer to a group of conditions involving inflammation of the upper airway that leads to a cough that sounds like a bark, difficulty breathing, and a grunting noise or inspiratory stridor during breathing. The most common characteristics of these ailments are upper airway obstruction. The obstruction level determines the degree of respiratory distress and rarely causes respiratory failure as well. Except for croup the other causes of acute upper airway obstruction in children are inhalated foreign bodies, retropharyngeal abscess, bacterial tracheitis and epiglottitis. Two cases presented to the emergency department with the diagnosis of croup syndrome. A 9 month old girl had an incremental stridor which was lasting for two months. She underwent rigid bronchoscopy with removal of an undefined foreign body organized at vocal cord level. The other case, a 19 month old boy, was admitted with cardiac arrest. On observation after a choking episode he ejected a piece of peanut spontaneously.