Image of the Month (From August/September 2011 Issue of Modern Resident)

Author: Casey Grover, MD
Stanford/Kaiser Emergency Medicine
Originally Published: Modern Resident August/September 2011

A 17 month old female is brought to the ED by her mother for emesis and fever. The mother thinks that her daughter may have swallowed something last night because the child had made a "wheezing sound" while breathing and appeared uncomfortable. There was no witnessed ingestion. The child appears well with normal vital signs and is playful and interactive. Her physical exam, including pulmonary examination, is normal.

You order a PA and lateral chest X-ray. What does it show?

 

Image Credit: Modern Resident

1. A coin in the esophagus
2. A coin in the trachea
3. A bottle cap in the esophagus
4. A button battery in the esophagus

Click here for the answer.