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Toys in the upper aerodigestive tract: evidence on their risk as emerging from the ESFBI study

Francesca Foltran1, Dario Gregori, Desiderio Passàli

  • 1Department of Surgery, University of Pisa, via Roma no. 67, Pisa, Italy.

Auris, Nasus, Larynx
|March 1, 2011
PubMed

Insights

Toy-related foreign body ingestion/aspiration is a significant risk for children, with rigid objects posing the greatest danger. Enhanced parental awareness and supervision are crucial alongside product safety regulations.

Area of Science:

  • Pediatric emergency medicine
  • Consumer product safety
  • Public health

Background:

  • Foreign body aspiration/ingestion is common in young children.
  • Small toys and toy parts are frequent culprits despite safety efforts.
  • Understanding risk factors is vital for prevention.

Purpose of the Study:

  • To analyze complications and hospitalization risks from toy ingestion/aspiration.
  • To examine the influence of patient age, gender, toy characteristics, and accident circumstances.
  • To identify key determinants of severe outcomes in the European Study of Foreign Body Ingestions (ESFBI).

Main Methods:

  • Retrospective study across 19 European hospitals.
  • Inclusion of children aged 0-14 with toy-related ingestions/aspirations.
  • Data collected on patient/toy characteristics, location, hospitalization, and complications.

Main Results:

  • 2094 foreign body injuries occurred (2000-2003), 121 (5.8%) from toys.
  • 58 children required hospitalization; rigid toy consistency was a key factor.
  • Nearly 27% of toy-related injuries occurred during adult supervision.

Conclusions:

  • While product regulation reduces mortality, it's insufficient alone.
  • Preventive strategies must include educating parents on risks.
  • Enhanced parental awareness and vigilant child supervision are essential.
Abstract

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