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Aural foreign bodies in children
F E Ologe1, A D Dunmade, O A Afolabi
1College of Medicine, University of Ilorin/ University of Ilorin Teaching Hospital, Ilorin, Nigeria. foluologe@yahoo.com
Insights
Foreign bodies in children
Area of Science:
- Pediatric Otolaryngology
- Emergency Medicine
Background:
- Foreign body in the ear is a common pediatric emergency.
- Management strategies vary, impacting patient outcomes.
Purpose of the Study:
- Audit current practices for managing pediatric aural foreign bodies.
- Identify improvements for resource-limited settings.
Main Methods:
- Retrospective case review of pediatric aural foreign bodies over five years.
- Analysis of removal techniques, anesthesia use, and complications.
Main Results:
- Grains, seeds, and beads were the most common foreign bodies.
- 96% of cases were successfully removed without general anesthesia.
- Complications included external auditory canal bleeding (16.3%) and otitis externa (6.5%).
Conclusions:
- Most pediatric ear foreign bodies can be managed safely in an office setting.
- Developing clear guidelines for primary care management is essential.
Objective:
Foreign body in the ear is commonly encountered in children by primary care givers, emergency department Physicians, Pediatricians and Otolaryngologists worldwide.
Methods:
We reviewed cases of aural foreign bodies in children seen in our centre over a five-year period with the aim of auditing our current practice and suggesting possible improvements suited for developing countries.
Results:
Grains and seeds (27.9%), beads (19.7%), cotton wool (13.6%), paper (8.8%) and eraser (8.2%) formed the bulk of the aural foreign bodies. About 96% was removed without general anesthesia by using Jobson Horne's probe or aural dressing forceps (73.8%) under direct vision; or by syringing (22.1%). Some 4% had to be removed in the operating theatre under general anesthesia. The complications observed include bruise or laceration and bleeding from the external auditory canal (16.3%), otitis externa (6.5%) and traumatic perforation of the tympanic membrane (1.7%).
Conclusion:
Despite a high proportion of cases managed in the office setting, complication rates were within acceptable levels. There is need to develop practical criteria that will be beneficial to primary health care givers to determine which patients could be managed in the primary care setting with acceptable outcome.
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