ABSTRACT
A 14-year-old boy presents to the emergency department after choking on a nail. He was helping his friend repair a fence and tripped over a board with a nail in his mouth. He had a brief episode of coughing shortly afterward which resolved. He denied any retrosternal chest pain, difficulty swallowing, abdominal pain, nausea, or vomiting. On exam he appeared comfortable with a respiratory rate of 16 and pulse oximetry of 98% on room air. There was focal wheezing in the right mid-lung without increased work of breathing, stridor, voice change, or drooling. Imaging for a possible foreign body was performed.
