Aerodigestive tract foreign bodies in children: One year's experience at Christchurch Hospital emergency department

Aim. To review the children who presented to Christchurch Hospital emergency department with aerodigestive tract foreign bodies during 1994. Method. The emergency department, and impatient notes were retrospectively reviewed for all children presenting with a complaint of an aspirated or ingested foreign body, for the period 1 January 1994 to 31 December 1994. One hundred and thirty-nine children were identified as being eligible for study. A telephone followup interview to determine outcome was also conducted. Results. The 139 children had a median age of 3 years, 2 months and an even gender-distribution. The foreign bodies implicated were 47 coins, 23 sharp objects, 4 button batteries and a wide variety of blunt, noncorrosive foreign bodies. Twelve of the foreign bodies required removal (5 oesophagoscopies, 4 bronchoscopies, 2 indirect laryngoscopies and 1 laparotomy). Forty-five of 139 children had no significant symptoms at any time and these children had a total of 43 x-rays and 5 followup visits, none of which changed management. No child assessed by followup interviews had suffered complications requiring further evaluation or treatment. Conclusion. Children who have ingested blunt, noncorrosive foreign bodies, and who have had no significant symptoms at anytime require no investigations after exclusion of oesophageal impaction but should be reviewed if symptoms develop.