%0 Journal Article %A Ul Haq, Irfan %A Hameed, Mansoor %A Ahmed, Shakeel %A Hussein, Mousa %T Foreign body aspiration in an adult: An endobronchial “Melon-oma” %D 2022 %J Qatar Medical Journal, %V 2022 %N 2 - First allergy conference in Qatar %@ 2227-0426 %C 23 %R https://doi.org/10.5339/qmj.2022.fqac.23 %K FB aspiration %K adult %K bronchoscopy %I Hamad bin Khalifa University Press (HBKU Press), %X Background: Foreign body (FB) aspirations in adults are relatively uncommon. The most commonly aspirated FBs in adults are organic, especially vegetable matter, peanuts, and fragments of bones. We report a rare case of a FB discovered in the left main bronchus of an adult male admitted to the intensive care unit. Case report: A 52-year-old male smoker with COPD presented to the emergency department with a two-day history of increasing dyspnea and cough. He was hypoxic and febrile with a temperature of 38°C. Auscultation revealed decreased breath sounds over the left lung and a few rhonchi on the right side. Chest x-ray showed left lung collapse. His condition rapidly worsened, and he was immediately intubated for acute respiratory failure. CT chest identified a large endobronchial mass obstructing the left main bronchus. Flexible bronchoscopy confirmed a soft and mobile brownish lesion in the left main bronchus. The histological appearance of the specimen retrieved was consistent with an organic foreign body. This was later identified as a melon chunk. It was removed successfully via flexible bronchoscopy by cutting it into smaller pieces to aid retrieval. Conclusion: FB aspiration can occur in all age groups but is less common in adults accounting for only 0.16%–0.33% of adult bronchoscopic procedures. Early detection of an aspirated FB is essential to avoid significant complications, morbidity, and mortality. %U https://www.qscience.com/content/journals/10.5339/qmj.2022.fqac.23