Foreign body aspiration in children and adults

Foreign body aspiration (FBA) is one of the most important preventable causes of death. The majority of cases are children under fifteen years and especially children younger than three years of age. However, FBA can occur in adults and elderly people as well, but the incidence is not known. Clinical signs vary depending on the patient’s age, size and localization and type and physical characteristics of aspirated material and elapsed time. Although history, physical examination and radiological findings are helpful in diagnosis, final diagnosis is made by bronchoscopy. Standard treatment is removal of foreign body from the airway by bronchoscopy. The most important factors determining the prognosis include age and clinical status of patient, type and locatization of foreign body and duration of the airway obstruction, experience of the surgical team and the technical facilities. J. Exp. Clin. Med., 2013; 30: S81-S85