Oy vey!

Abstract: A 27-year-old lady presented with persistent cough, sputum and fever for the preceding six months. Inspite of trials with antibiotics and anti-tuberculosis treatment for the preceeding four months, her symptoms did not improve. A subsequent chest radiograph showed non-homogeneous collapse-consolidation of right upper lobe. Videobronchoscopy revealed an inverted bag like structure in right upper lobe bronchus and rigid bronchoscopic removal with biopsy forceps confirmed the presence of a condom. Detailed retrospective history also confirmed accidental inhalation of the condom during fellatio.

My question is... she had to have known she inhaled a condom, yet it took her six months to go get checked out? And I'm assuming she was giving a covered BJ because of concerns for her safety... /baffled

First of all, it could be significant that this took place in India where it's likely there's significant ignorance about the most basic bodily functions.  You are clearly a health care professional and your high level of expertise may actually be a hurdle here.  For example, the woman may have known the condom went down her throat but may not understand the difference between the esophagus and the trachea, leading her to believe the condom ended up in the stomach and passed out that way.  Who knows?  Just a thought.

usually, the foreign bodies that are removed are located more distally (anus) and not the lungs.....and they are usually flashlights, candles and vibrators.  you wouldn't believe how many people shower with these types of objects and "accidentally" fall on them.  my favorites to date have been an old style perfume bottle with bulb pump and an Axe deodorant spray bottle.  the plastic hand grenade (pineapple style) was particularly gross for obvious reasons.  one patient had a stone sphere that he wanted back.....we are talking about a 12 cm diameter sphere.

Just wait for end when Johnny Knoxville comes in!

lol

It happens more often than you might think.  The male penis is rooted to the lower torso and can be easily withdrawn if oral lover is choking.  Just the way God intended.  But the condom is a choking hazard.  Might as well play Russian Roulette with a gun if you ask me.  Sad to see people are still doing covered blow jobs in 2011 as if it is still the middle ages.

Actually, sweetamanda, it did not take her six months to seek help.  The report says that she had been treated with various meds for four months before ending up with Bronchoscopy etc.  So, the pretty logical explanation is that she just assumed that the condom went into her stomach and it will easily pass thru.  The symptoms of chronic cough probably did not develop till some time later after the inflammation set in.  Even then, she probably did not put 2 & 2 together.

Ignorance about human body, especially in sexual area  (obviously common in India) is not that uncommon even here.  A few years back, there was a survey of the new mothers assessing their knowledge and opinion regarding circumcision.  A very interesting side note was that full 18% ( almost 1 out of 5 )of the women did not know if their husbands were circumcised or not!!

Maybe she swallowed it on purpose.

A 35-year-old man presented to the emergency department with profuse rectal bleeding, abdominal pain, and an altered mental status. On physical examination, he was found to be intoxicated, with a blood pressure of 70/40 mm Hg, a pulse of 110 beats per minute, and an oxygen saturation of 90%. Abdominal examination revealed a mass and the presence of peritoneal signs. There was no evidence of trauma. A foreign body was found on rectal examination but was not visible. Once the patient was hemodynamically stable, plain-film radiography of the abdomen was performed, and an intact bottle was seen in the rectosigmoid colon. Laparotomy revealed a glass bottle of beer lodged in the sigmoid colon, with multiple associated lacerations in the rectosigmoid colon. The bottle was extracted, and Hartmann's colostomy was performed. The patient was treated with broad-spectrum antibiotics and analgesics and underwent colorectal reanastomosis, after which the recovery was uneventful.

Equal opportunity orifices:

Unusual presentation of vaginal foreign body

A variety of foreign objects have been left in the adult vagina for long periods of time, usually forgotten. Such objects include tampons, sex toys, bottle caps and occasionally dangerous corrosive substances, which could endanger the lives of the women. Objects left in the vagina for a long period of time invariably give rise to excessive and offensive vaginal discharge. A detailed history and examination, together with the patient's cooperation, is usually sufficient to accurately identify the nature of the object before retrieval. We report a case of foreign body in the vagina initially thought to be a presentation of cervical cancer. (It has a surprise ending.)

While it's true that some people swallow  weird stuff, or stick it up their ass, I've never heard of someone inhaling something instead.  I suppose anything's possible, though.