Foreign bodies in the ears causing complications and requiring hospitalization in children 0–14 age: Results from the ESFBI study

Abstract

Objective: The occurrence of foreign bodies (FBs) in otorhinolaryngological practice is a common and serious problem among patients in paediatric age. The aim of this work is to characterize the risk of complications and prolonged hospitalization due to foreign bodies in ears in terms of the characteristics of the injured patients (age, gender), typology and features of the foreign bodies, the circumstances of the accident and the hospitalization's details. Methods: A retrospective study in major hospitals of 19 European countries was realized on children aged 0-14 with regard to the characteristics of the injured child and the FB, the circumstances of the accident and finally the hospitalization's details. Results: Four hundred and ninety eight cases were reported with an injury due to insertion of a FB in the ear (ICD931). Complications were observed in 65 (13.05%) children. Complications were lesion of auricular canal, perforation of tympanic membrane, local inflammation, bleeding, pain and otitis. Hospitalization lasted in median 1 day. The 82% of hospitalized children are in the ''day hospital'' regimen. The spherical, rigid and inorganic FB caused hospitalization in 61%, 63% and 84% of cases, respectively. Conclusion: Foreign body injuries in the ears are commonly encountered in clinical practice. The removal by non-ENT personnel can be associated to complications especially in children who have a variable level of cooperation.Occasions for the injury were mostly playing in the absence of watchful caregivers. Since prevention is the most essential way to deal with FB injuries public education should be encouraged. #

Experience with plastic closure of nasal septal perforation in children and adolescents

“…Между тем практика пока зывает, что проблема перфорации перегородки носа существует и в детской популяции [9][10][11]. Очевид но, что развивающийся детский организм и расту щий детский нос требуют своевременного устране ния проблемы.…”

Foreign Bodies in Non-Life Threatening Locations: A Risk Analysis of Nose and Ears Foreign Bodies in European Children

“…Unlike FB inhaled into the lower airway [1,2] or ingested [3,4], the presence of a foreign body in the ear or nose is not life-threatening, but it may result in significant morbidity [5][6][7][8].…”

“…The presence of a FB in the nose is not usually life threatening [10], however, it may result in long-term complications and it could be responsible even of fatal outcomes if the object is dislodged into the airway. Foreign body (FB) insertion in external auditory canal (EAC) is not an uncommon event in emergency medicine [7].…”

“…The presence of a FB in the nose is not usually life threatening [10], however, it may result in long-term complications and it could be responsible even of fatal outcomes if the object is dislodged into the airway. Foreign body (FB) insertion in external auditory canal (EAC) is not an uncommon event in emergency medicine [7]. Several factors in fact may lead children to insert foreign bodies intentionally into the ears including curiosity, the wish to *Address correspondence to this author at the Labs of Epidemiological Methods and Biostatistics, Department of Environmental Medicine and Public Health, University of Padova, Via Loredan 18, 35131 Padova, Italy; Tel: +39 049 8275384; Fax: +39 02 700445089; E-mail: dario.gregori@unipd.it explore the orifices of the body, fun-making, irritation caused by otalgia and attraction to small, round-shaped objects [11,12].…”

“…Because of the risks associated with FB injuries, public health authorities must to devote great attention to this issue [10] and joint efforts, including the implementation of surveillance systems such as the Susy Safe Registry [15], have been made in several countries to better understand the injuries due to the FB insertion or inhalation and to identify shared prevention standards. Particularly, the integration of information coming from different clinical setting and crosscultural comparisons constitute a cornerstone of a monitoring activity aiming to identify risky FB and hazardous behavior, in order to implement normative and educational preventive strategies.…”