Management of Foreign Bodies in the Mouth, Nose and Ears in Children in the Emergency Room

Background: In daily ENT practice foreign bodies in children are a frequent occurrence. In most instances, removal of the foreign body is easily accomplished. In some cases removal is only possible under brief general anesthesia. Objectives: The present work is intended to provide an overview of the first aid management of foreign bodies in the ENT field. Methods: The study was conducted at the Charite University Hospital Berlin, campus Virchow Klinikum (Germany). All children referred to the otolaryngologist on duty in the emergency room between 2009 - 2013 with a suspected foreign body were included in the retrospective study. Results: 517 children were included in our study. We removed foreign bodies from the following sites: ear 161, nasal cavity 237, nasopharynx 8, and oropharynx 29. Furthermore, 15 foreign bodies were found at other sites in the aerodigestive tract. 51 foreign bodies were removed under general anesthesia. Conclusions: The management of foreign bodies in ENT in children should be adapted to the location, the nature of the foreign body and the child’s age in order to ensure a safe and gentle removal. Interdisciplinary collaboration is required in particular to avoid complications.