Cardiac arrest following foreign-body aspiration.

Foreign-body aspiration is common in children but less frequent in adults, and in adults the presentation is often more delayed than in children.1 Aspiration of food, despite causing immediate cough, may not be reported by an adult, as the cough usually subsides quickly once the foreign body lodges in a more distal airway. This is attributed to the larger caliber of adult airways, so the obstruction is often more distal and therefore less likely to cause asphyxiation.1