Annals of Tropical Paediatrics (2003) 23, 31–37 Foreign body aspiration in children: experience of 1160 cases S ¸ EVVAL EREN, AKIN ERASLAN BALCI, BU ¨ NYAMIN DI KI CI *, MEHMET DOBLAN & MEHMET NESIMI EREN Departments of Thoracic & Cardiovascular Surgery and *Pediatrics, Dicle University School of Medicine, Diyarbakõr, Turkey (Accepted November 2002) Summary Hospital records of 1160 children å15 years old referred for suspected foreign body aspiration were reviewed. Bronchoscopy under general anaesthesia was performed on all patients. Foreign bodies were successfully removed in 1068 (92%) children. The majority, 885 (76.3%), presented with a de nite history of foreign body aspiration. Bronchoscopy was negative in 85 (7.3%) children. Watermelon seeds, found in 414 (38.7%) children, were the most commonly aspirated foreign bodies. Open surgical procedures were required for 21 (1.8%) children. Bronchial rupture related to bronchoscopy occurred in four children, two of whom died post-operatively. The overall mortality rate was 0.8%. Introduction of Thoracic and Cardiovascular Surgery in Dicle University School of Medicine for evaluation of tracheobronchial foreign body Foreign body aspiration is an important cause of morbidity and mortality in childhood aspiration. This centre is located in south- east Turkey and serves as a referral hospital and occurs most frequently in children aged between 6 months and 4 years. 1 –4 In the for eight cities for treatment of foreign body aspiration. USA, 500 children die each year because of foreign body aspiration. 5 The diagnosis is The following information was recorded for each child: age, sex, presenting symptoms, challenging and can be overlooked because it usually occurs in infants and toddlers. 6 A time lapse between the onset of symptoms and admission to hospital, duration of hospital high index of suspicion is therefore necessary if accidental foreign body aspiration is to stay, type of foreign body removed and any complications. Bronchoscopy was performed be successfully diagnosed. 6 We present our clinical experience of 1160 children å15 on all patients using a rigid bronchoscope under general anaesthesia in the operating years old from south-east Turkey with tracheobronchial foreign body aspiration. room. (A exible paediatric bronchoscope was not available.) An inhalation agent (Halotan 0.5–2.0%, Turk Hoecshst, Istanbul, Turkey) was administered by mask, and Materials and Methods succinylcholine (1.0–1.5 mg/kg) was injected for muscle relaxation. Airway control was Between January 1990 and March 2002, 1160 shifted to the bronchoscope when in place. children were admitted to the Department Maintenance anaesthesia was accomplished with 0.8–1.5% halotan and 100% oxygen inhalation. After removal of the broncho- Reprint requests to: Dr S ¸ evval Eren, Akkoyunlu 3. sok., scope, the anaesthetist maintained the air- Altunbay 3 apt., No: 7 O s, 21100–Diyarbakõr, Turkey. Fax: +90 412 248 8440; e-mail: sevval@dicle.edu.tr way with an endotracheal tube until the © 2003 The Liverpool School of Tropical Medicine DOI: 10.1179/000349803125002959