RESUMEN Describimos el caso del corte inadvertido de una sonda introducida por la nariz para medir la temperatura intraquirúrgica, en un paciente de 26 años. El segmento faltante de la sonda se recuperó de la tráquea, un sitio inusual en vista de la presencia del tubo endotraqueal con balón. Este caso sirve para recordar que el tubo endotraqueal con balón no protege necesariamente a la vía aérea contra la aspiración de cuerpos extraños sólidos provenientes de la vía oral o la vía nasal.

ABSTRACT We describe a case of a 26-year-old patient wherein a temperature probe introduced through the nose for intra operative temperature monitoring was inadvertently cut during the ongoing surgical procedure. The missing segment of the probe was retrieved from the trachea which formed an unusual site in spite of the presence of a cuffed endotracheal tube. The present case serves as a reminder that cuffed endotracheal tube does not necessarily protect the airway from aspiration of solid foreign bodies from the oral or nasal airway.