Foreign Body Aspiration in Children: A Review of 10Years Gunther Pabst*, Christoph Schlegel-Wagner, Thomas Linder, Markus Reimers and Alain Pfammatter Department of Otorhinolaryngology, Head & Neck Surgery, Lucerne Cantonal Hospital, Swit- zerland Introduction Foreign body aspiration is a common problem in children. Toddlers 3years of age or younger are at higher risk, since they explore their environment by putting objects preferentially in their mouths [1]. At this age the complex mechanisms of chewing and swallowing food are still underdeveloped [2]. Food, mainly nuts, beside non-organic objects are the primary causes of choking. Foreign body aspiration, especially in children requires prompt recognition and early treatment to avoid potentially serious and sometimes fatal consequences. The most reliable clinical signs of foreign body aspiration are choking and witnessed aspiration episode [3]. If foreign body aspiration is suspected, early bronchoscopy and removal is indicated as a straightforward and safe procedure [4]. In the last decade prevention of foreign body aspiration in children has become a more and more important issue [5-7]. We reviewed all cases of bronchoscopies in children for possible foreign body aspiration performed in the Department of Otorhinolaryngology, Head and Neck Surgery of the Kantonsspital Luzern in Switzerland from 2000 to 2010. The results were compared with those of a previous study from 1984 to 1994 [8]. The aim of this study was furthermore to assess the effect of a newspaper educational campaign for choking in reducing the incidence of foreign body aspiration. Material and Methods All bronchoscopies performed in children with suspected foreign body aspiration at a tertiary referral ENT center between 2000 and 2010 were reviewed retrospectively. Overall 96 children, mainly referred by the pediatric clinic, underwent bronchoscopy under general anesthesia using rigid Storz ventilating bronchoscopes. Type and location of the foreign body was recorded prior to removal utilizing different types of grasping forceps (Figure 1). If no foreign body could be found in the airways, esophagoscopy was carried out. 78 patients (81%) Crimson Publishers Wings to the Research Research Article *Corresponding author: Gunther Pabst, Department of Otorhinolaryngology, Head & Neck Surgery, Lucerne Cantonal Hospital, Switzerland Submission: June 28, 2019 Published: July 09, 2019 Volume 2 - Issue 4 How to cite this article: Pabst G *, Linder TE, Schlegel-Wagner C, Re- imers M, Pfammatter A . Foreign Body Aspiration in Children: A Re- view of 10Years. Surg Med Open Acc J.2(5). SMOAJ.000547.2019. DOI: 10.31031/SMOAJ.2019.02.000547. Copyright@ Gunther Pabst, This article is distributed under the terms of the Creative Commons Attribution 4.0 International License, which permits unrestricted use and redistribution provided that the original author and source are credited. ISSN: 2578-0379 1 Surgical Medicine Open Access Journal Abstract Objective: A review of all cases of suspected foreign body aspiration in children transferred to an ENT referral center for endoscopy for 10years. Methods: In the Department of Otorhinolaryngology, Head and Neck Surgery 96 cases of endoscopy for presumed foreign body aspiration in children during the time period of 10years were retrospectively analyzed. The results were compared with a review of the actual literature. Result: During the most recent time period in 69 out of 96 patients an aspiration was confirmed, and the foreign bodies removed. The mean patient age was 2.3years. Organic foreign bodies, especially peanuts, were most common. In 70% of the cases endoscopy was performed within the first 24hours. The main bronchus was most frequently affected with an almost equal distribution of both sides. Six foreign bodies were found in the esophagus. Conclusion: When foreign body aspiration is suspected, early endoscopic removal is mandatory. In cases where no foreign body is found in the airways, esophagoscopy is necessary. In exceptional cases CT-scans can be of high diagnostic value. Keywords: Foreign bodies; Patient; Bronchoscopy; Prevention; Esophagus