Cyanoacrylate glue ingestion with formation of a laryngeal cast

2 A62-year-oldmalewas admitted to our emergency department ith gasping and cyanosis. His mouth and throat were filled with ardened cyanoacrylate glue (SuperGlueTM), which he had swalowed 15min earlier to attempt suicide (Fig. 1). An emergency hysician prepared for cricothyroidotomy whilst another tried to emove the hardened glue from the patient’s mouth with Magill orceps under direct laryngoscopy. It was possible to pull out the hole piece of blood-tinged hardened glue with Magill forceps. he patient’s condition rapidly improved after this. We were surrised to find that the hardened glue had formed amodel cast of the pper airway including the glossoepiglottic fold, epiglottic vallecla, epiglottis, laryngeal inlet and vocal fold (Fig. 2). The patient ad a rigid bronchoscopy to remove the residual glue and was ischarged 7 days later with mild mucositis. Cyanoacrylate glue is a common household substance used as nadhesive. According to the literature, ingestionof cyanoacrylates s rare and usually occurs accidentally in children.2 If glue is aspiated into the lungs, mechanical obstruction, physical trauma and hemical irritation can occur. Fortunately, the glue does not stick to oist mucosal surfaces, as it rapidly hardens and can be removed ith a finger or a forceps with minimal force.1,2