The art of removing nasal foreign bodies

The removal of nasal foreign bodies (NFBs) can be a difficult task for the inexperienced physician, and the more unsuccessful attempts are made, the more difficult the extraction becomes. We have formulated this simple "four-step" approach to improve success, especially on the first try.

A retrospective review of cases requiring NFB removal, seen by one registrar from 2012 to 2016 at Frankston Hospital, was performed.

From 2012 to 2016, 93 patients were referred, of whom 65 were confirmed to have NFBs. In all, 20 patients were first seen by the registrar and had the NFB removed successfully. Another 28 patients were referred to the registrar only after one failed attempt by another medical personnel, and the remaining 17 patients were referred after two failed attempts. All patients had the NFB removed locally in the emergency department using the "four-step" approach, except four patients who had the NFB removed under general anesthesia in the operating theater. Three of the latter had two failed attempts and had refused further attempts, and the fourth patient had developed epistaxis after a failed removal by his general practitioner.

When performed correctly, the "four-step" approach will result in the successful removal of NFBs. Ideally, the removal of NFBs should only be performed by an experienced medical personnel, and any failed first attempt removals must be subsequently managed only by an experienced medical personnel.