Airway foreign bodies

Abstract

Objectives: The objective of this study is to review the management of foreign body inhalation, the type of foreign bodies commonly inhaled, the site of impaction and the complications related with it. Design of Study: Retrospective clinical study. Setting: Mayo Hospital Lahore, ENT Unit I. Period: April 1999 to September 2000 (18 months). Materials and methods: 32 consecutive patients with suspected foreign body inhalation were included in this study. A total of 35 bronchoscopies were carried out in these 32 patients. The patient data was collected on the basis of management complications and follow-up. Results: Total number of cases was 32 including 24 males (75%) and 8 females (25%). Age range of the patients was 6 months to 30 years (average 6.65 years). Most commonly inhaled foreign bodies were plastic whistles in 19 cases (66)). The most common site of impaction was right main bronchus (62%) followed by left main bronchus (24%x). Complications occurred in 2 patients (7%). Conclusions: Foreign body in the airway is a common problem affecting young children mainly. The most common foreign body inhaled is a whistle. It is a preventable problem and educating the parents, teachers and other childcare providers in this regard is highly desirable.