AERODIGESTIVE TRACT FOREIGN-BODIES IN CHILDREN - ONE YEARS EXPERIENCEAT CHRISTCHURCH-HOSPITAL EMERGENCY DEPARTMENT

Aim. To review the children who presented to Christchurch Hospital eme rgency department with aerodigestive tract foreign bodies during 1994. Method. The emergency department, and impatient notes were retrospect ively reviewed for all children presenting with a complaint of an aspi rated or ingested foreign body, for the period 1 January 1994 to 31 De cember 1994. One hundred and thirty-nine children were identified as b eing eligible for study. A telephone followup interview to determine o utcome was also conducted. Results. The 139 children had a median age of 3 years, 2 months and an even gender-distribution. The foreign bodi es implicated were 47 coins, 23 sharp objects, 4 button batteries and a wide variety of blunt, noncorrosive foreign bodies. Twelve of the fo reign bodies required removal (5 oesophagoscopies, 4 bronchoscopies, 2 indirect laryngoscopies and 1 laparotomy). Forty-five of 139 children had no significant symptoms at any time and these children had a tota l of 43 x-rays and 5 followup visits, none of which changed management . No child assessed by followup interviews had suffered complications requiring further evaluation or treatment. Conclusion. Children who ha ve ingested blunt, noncorrosive foreign bodies, and who have had no si gnificant symptoms at anytime require no investigations after exclusio n of oesophageal impaction but should be reviewed if symptoms develop.