Abstract

Acute airway obstruction or choking is reportedly commoner in children than adults. Most commonly aspirated material among the children is either vegetable matter or inorganic objects such as a toy.Foreign body aspiration (FBA)amounts to the fourth leading cause of death occurring at either home or community places, in the United States of America.The death rate in cases of FBA in adults is seven times higher among people of age >65 years than in children, though the prevalence of it is less. Cardiovascular diseases (CVD) including ischaemic heart disease and cerebrovascular such as stroke account for 17.7 million deaths. Such a case where the diagnosis of cardiovascular disease was much eminent, turned out to be of choking on autopsy is discussed in this case report.

• 1.   Sadan N, Raz A, Wolach B. Impact of community educational programmes on foreign body aspiration in Israel. Eur J Pediatr. 1995;154(10):859-62.
• 2.   Baharloo F, Veyckemans F, Francis C, Biettlot MP, and Rodenstein DO, “Tracheobronchial foreign bodies: presentation and management in children and adults,” Chest, vol. 115, no. 5, pp. 1357–62, 1999.
• 3.   Kramarow E, Warner M, Chen L-H. Food-related choking deaths among the elderly. Injury Prevention. 2014;20(3):200-03.
• 4.   WHO. Global Health Estimates 2015: Deaths by Cause, Age, Sex, by Country and by Region, 2000e2015. Geneva: World Health Organization; 2016.
• 5.   Haugen RK. The cafe coronary—sudden deaths in restaurants. JAMA 1963;186:142–3.
• 6.   Dolkas L, Stanley C, Smith AM, Vilke GM. Deaths associated with choking in San Diego county. J Forensic Sci. 2007 Jan;52(1):176-9.
• 7.   Ahmed SM, Garg R, Divatia JV, et al. Compression-only life support (COLS) for cardiopulmonary resuscitation by layperson outside the hospital. Indian Journal of Anaesthesia. 2017;61(11):867.
• 8.   Hu T, Huang L, Cartwrigth WS. Evaluation of the costs of caring for the senile demented elderly: a pilot study. Gerontologist 1986;26:158–62.
• 9.   Fioritti A, Giaccotto L, Melega V. Choking incidents among psychiatric patients: retrospective analysis of thirty-one cases from the west Bologna psychiatric wards. Can J Psychiatry 1997;42:515–20.
• 10.   Berzlanovich AM, Dorner BF, Waldhoer T, Fasching P, Keil W. Foreign Body Asphyxia A Preventable Cause of Death in the Elderly. Am J Prev Med 2005;28(1):65–9.
• 11.   Pontoppidan H, Beecher HK. Progressive loss of protective reflexes in the airway with the advance of age. JAMA 1960;174:77–81.
• 12.   Kendall KA, Leonard RJ. Bolus transit and airway protection coordination in older dysphagic patients. Laryngoscope 2001;111:2017–21.
• 13.   Feinberg MJ, Ekberg O. Deglutination after near fatal choking episode: radiologic evaluation. Radiology 1990;176:637–40.
• 14.   Hsieh HH, Bhatia SC, Andersen JM, Cheng SC. Psychotropic medication and nonfatal cafe coronary. J ClinPsychopharmacol 1986;6:101–2.
• 15.   Eller WC, Haugen RK. Food asphyxiation— restaurant rescue. New Engl J Med 1973;289:81–2.
• 16.   Prabhakaran D, Jeemon P, Roy A. Cardiovascular diseases in India. Circulation. 2016;133:1605-20.
• 17.   Ruhil R. India has reached on the descending limb of tobacco epidemic. Indian J Community Med. 2018;43:153-6.

Data Sharing Statement

Funding