Foreign body aspiration in children; Analysis of 42 cases

Aim: Tracheal foreign body aspiration is among the major causes of death in developing countries, specifically in infancy and childhood. If it is diagnosed in early period and the foreign body is removed, no complication develops. Material & Method: Records of 42 forensic child patients who applied to Mustafa Kemal University, Medical Faculty Hospital and the Antakya State Hospital, Thoracic Surgery and Pediatric Surgery clinics between 2008-2011, and hospitalized with the thraceobronchial foreign body aspiration prediagnosis were studied retrospectively. Results: Of the 42 patients, 22 were male and 20 were female, and their ages ranged from 4 months to 5 years. Foreign body was detected in 38 cases. In 4 cases, bronchoscopy was performed with the suspicion of foreign body, but no foreign body was observed. The foreign body was removed with rigid bronchoscopy in 37 cases, and in one case, metal tip of a pen was removed from left upper lobe bronchus with thoracotomy. Conclusion: Foreign body aspirations in children mostly originate from accidents. Similarly, the cause of aspiration in children under the age of 5 in our study was mainly accidental and the rest were due to the negligence.