What is a potential respiratory complication if Arista AH is aspirated?

• A. Enhanced wound healing.
• B. Airway obstruction.
• C. Systemic infection only.
• D. Immediate tissue necrosis.

Answer: (B)

When a topical hemostatic agent like Arista AH is aspirated, the primary concern is that it becomes a foreign body in the airway and can physically block airflow. This material can lodge in the trachea or bronchi and, once in the moist airway, may swell or obstruct the passage, leading to coughing, wheezing, dyspnea, and potential hypoxia. That immediate risk is why airway obstruction is the correct potential respiratory complication.

Other outcomes are less likely to be the immediate problem. Enhanced wound healing is not a complication of aspiration and is not the concern here. Systemic infection is not the typical immediate effect of aspirating this material, though any foreign body can contribute to infection if it remains. Immediate tissue necrosis is not a common consequence of aspiration and would be less likely than obstruction. If aspiration occurs, urgent evaluation and removal (often by bronchoscopy) are needed to resolve the obstruction.