Lidocaine-saturated cotton tip applicator used for laryngeal desensitization resulting in an iatrogenic tracheobronchial foreign body in two cats.

Case Series Summary: Two cats were referred to a veterinary teaching hospital with a cotton tip applicator (CTA) tracheobronchial foreign body (FB) after induction of anesthesia for an elective dental cleaning. In both cases, a lidocaine-saturated CTA, utilized to desensitize the larynx before endotracheal (ET) intubation, broke when introduced into the oropharynx and was subsequently aspirated into the tracheobronchial tree. Both CTAs were successfully removed bronchoscopically, and the cats survived with no short- or long-term complications noted.