Tracheobronchial foreign body aspiration in childhood

Abstract

Objective: The aim of this study was to determine the patients who were followed up and treated in pediatric emergency service due to foreign body aspiration. Methods: Patients admitted to Erciyes University Pediatric Emergency Unit in 2017 due to foreign body aspiration were evaluated retrospectively. Results: 23.9% of the patients in the study were female and 76.1% were male and 76.1% was under three years old. The ages of the patients were between 7 and 72 months. Duration of admission to hospital after aspiration was between 15 minutes and 22 days. The most common symptom of patients was coughing (%38) and the most frequent finding of physical examination was unilateral decrease in breathing sounds (47.6%). The most common symptom of lung graph was elevation of ventilation (61.9%) and 30.9% of the patient’s chest X-ray was normal. Bronchoscopy was performed in all 42 patients. Sunflower (33.3%) seed were found as the most common aspirated foreign body. The right main bronchus (33.3%) was the most common area where the foreign bodies were found. Conclusion: To suspect foreign body and getting a good medical history are the most important step in foreign body aspiration. According to our study, especially in the event of a choking cough, which starts in the story of boys under 3 years of age while playing games or eating food, the clinician must suspect foreign body aspiration. Normal radiological images do not exclude foreign body aspiration. Emergency bronchoscopy reduces morbidity and mortality in all suspected cases.