English

Abstract

BACKGROUND Foreign body aspiration (FBA) in children is one of the major causes of death in developing countries, the diagnosis of which can be missed due to varied presentation. It is one of the causes of choking among children which, if not recognized early may lead to fatal consequences. Early recognition and prompt intervention may reduce the mortality and morbidity. In this study, we wanted to assess the clinical profile of children with foreign body aspiration/ingestion, determine the nature and location of foreign body and also determine the outcome among children with foreign body aspiration at a tertiary care centre. METHODS This cross-sectional study was taken up to analyse the clinical profile, to study the types, location and the outcome of children with foreign body aspiration. All children in the age group of 2 months to 12 years admitted to Niloufer hospital, Hyderabad from January 2018 to December 2019 with either history of FBA or clinical features suggestive of FBA even in the absence of history were included in the study. Age, sex, clinical features (C/F), duration of illness were noted. A chest X-ray was done in all cases, whereas a computed tomography (CT) scan was done in children where clinical features & chest X-rays were inconclusive. All children fulfilling the inclusion criteria were subjected to bronchoscopy under general anaesthesia by ENT surgeons. The findings like type and location of the foreign bodies were noted. Statistical analysis was done by statistical package for social sciences (SPSS) software version 10.0. RESULTS Of 108 children studied, 60 % of cases were males and 40 % were females. 55 % of cases were below the age of 3 years. Common symptoms were rapid breathing (68 %) and cough (38.8 %). Nuts & seeds were the common foreign bodies seen in 47.30 %, out of which groundnuts were the most common. Organic foreign bodies accounted for 58.11 % while inorganic was 41.89 %. The common site of lodgement of foreign body was right main bronchus (35.59 %), followed by left main bronchus (27.11 %) and sub-glottis (8.47 %). CONCLUSIONS Foreign body aspiration is difficult to diagnose in children and a delay in diagnosis can lead to mortality and morbidity. Early intervention by bronchoscopy goes a long way in improving survival. Clinical suspicion is the key to the diagnosis. KEYWORDS Foreign Body, Bronchoscopy, Children