Foreign body (FB) aspiration is an emergency of concern at all ages. However, in adults, it can present with atypical symptoms such as shortness of breath, wheezing or rarely cyanosis. Aspiration of oral medications is seen in the elderly population with impairment of protective airway mechanism. Treatment of choice is endoscopic removal of the foreign body. We report such a case of foreign body aspiration (potassium chloride tablet), diagnosed on imaging and subsequently developed bronchostenosis. There are a very few reported cases of oral potassium supplement aspiration and associated complications in the literature.
Presence of renal-calculi (kidney stones) in human urethra is being increasingly diagnosed over the last decade and is considered as one of the most painful urological disorders. Accurate analysis of such stones plays a vital role in the evaluation of urolithiasis patients and in turn helps the clinicians toward exact etiologies. Two highly complementary laser-based analytical techniques; laser-induced breakdown spectroscopy (LIBS) and micro-Raman spectroscopy have been used to identify the chemical composition of different types of renal-calculi. LIBS explores elemental characteristics while Raman spectroscopy provides molecular details of the sample. This complete information on the sample composition might help clinicians to identify the key aspects of the formation of kidney stones, hence assist in therapeutic management and to prevent recurrence. The complementarity of both techniques has been emphasized and discussed. LIBS spectra of different types of stones suggest the probable composition of it by virtue of the major, minor and trace elements detected from the sample. However, it failed to differentiate the crystalline form of different hydrates of calcium oxalate stone. This lacuna was overcome by the use of Raman spectroscopy and these results are compared with conventional chemical analysis.