Tracheo-bronchial foreign body aspiration in children: a one year descriptive study

The aim of this work was to study the clinical presentation of tracheo-bronchial foreign body aspiration in children for its early diagnosis. This article attempts to address the potential hazards of foreign body inhalation in children and its subsequent management by rigid bronchoscopy. This study was conducted in Department of Otorhinolaryngology, K.L.E.S Dr. Prabhakar Kore Hospital, Belgaum, for a period of 1 year. Children less than 16 years of age with history suggestive or suspicious of foreign body aspiration were screened clinically and radiologically and those patients with high index of suspicion of foreign body were included in the study. All patients were subjected to rigid bronchoscopy under general anaesthesia and the results were analyzed. This study comprises of 29 patients with suspected foreign body aspiration. On rigid bronchoscopy, foreign body was found and successfully removed in 22 patients. Highest incidence was seen in boys between 1 and 2 years age. History of foreign body aspiration was absent in most cases and children presented with combination of symptoms. Obstructive emphysema was commonest chest X-ray finding. There was no significant difference in the site of foreign body aspiration on the right and left bronchus and commonest foreign bodies were vegetative type. Complication rates in this study were low as compared to previous studies. Tracheo-bronchial foreign body aspiration is very common in children. Foreign body aspiration usually presents as an un-witnessed episode and a high index of suspicion by the surgeon, even in absence of a positive history is necessary to prevent morbidity and mortality due to delayed or misdiagnosis. Foreign body aspiration is an emergency and should be removed by rigid bronchoscopy at the earliest to prevent complications.