Removal of an inhaled stoma button distal to a reactionary tracheal stenosis: a difficult airway case.

We present the complex and rare case of an inhaled stoma button causing proximal tracheal stenosis in a laryngectomy patient. The patient was unaware he had inhaled his button and presented with increasing shortness of breath and noisy breathing. In this case we discuss the challenging management of the stenotic tracheal segment above the impacted stoma button and the surgical approach to this difficult airway. The distal foreign body was safely removed using rigid bronchoscopy and balloon dilatation. This difficult airway required multidisciplinary input from the ENT, cardiothoracic and anaesthetic teams. © BMJ Publishing Group Limited 2019. No commercial re-use. See rights and permissions. Published by BMJ.