Foreign Bodies Presentation at Otorhinolaryngology Emergencies in A Tertiary Care Hospital

Abstract

In Otorhinolaryngology emergencies, foreign body in ear, nose and throat (ENT) is a common presentation. The type, site and presenting symptoms of foreign bodies differ with the age group and gender of the patient. Objective: To analyze foreign bodies in terms of age, location, type, gender distribution and correlation between age group of patients and location of foreign body. Methods: It was a prospective survey conducted at ENT department of Mayo Hospital, Lahore from 1st August, 2017 to 31st October, 2017. The data collected was entered in SPSS 21 for description and analysis. Results: 583 cases of foreign bodies in ENT region were reported. Mean age of presentation was 12.19 years with maximum age of 84 years and minimum age of 1 year. 331 cases (56.77%) were males and 252 cases (43.22%) were females. Predominant site was ear (342 cases i.e., 58.66%), then nose (182 cases i.e., 31.21%) and throat was the third commonest site (59 cases i.e., 10.12%). 401 patients out of 583 (68.78%) were below 10 years of age. Maximum patients at the time of presentation were 3 years old (110 cases out of 583 i.e., 19.89%). A strong association was seen between age of patient and site of foreign body impaction with a pvalue of .0001. Conclusion: Foreign body impaction in ENT region is a common emergency, reducing their incidence especially in children by educating their caregivers can help in decreasing patient load at tertiary care
hospitals.