Doctors stress on need to be wary of foreign bodies in ENT in children

Stressing on the need for the parents to be aware of this most common cause for emergencies among children, Dr A Muraleedharan, Senior Consultant, ENT, Gleneagles Global Hospital, said, “Young children are more prone to these issues due to their curiosity, playful ingestion or insertion. Foreign bodies can be living (insects or worms) or even be objects like cotton, paper, peas, beans, beads, erasers, metal, plastic and the like.”

He said that hygroscopic foreign bodies like peas, beans, grains, grams, peanuts and the like absorb water and swell creating brisk inflammatory response and objects like buttons and batteries cause severe inflammation and destruction of the tissues due to the liberation of harmful chemicals from it. 

“Foreign bodies in the nose and airway harbours potential hazard to life due to choking, aspiration and hypoxia. Retained foreign bodies in ENT will cause infection, inflammation, ulceration and necrosis of the tissues if no medical attention is sought at the right time. It is therefore important that parents keep an eye on their child at all times, and keep a look out for symptoms,” he added.

Stressing on the things to look out for, Dr R Kumar, an ENT said, “If the child mentions, at any time, that he had inserted an object in his ear, nose or throat, it would need a check-up. If a parent notices a foreign body, there again, it calls for a check-up. In case a child suddenly chokes or expresses difficulty in breathing or if a parent notices a missing object while the child was playing with toys containing small parts, it could spell danger.”

Dr Muraleedharan urged parents not to try to remove foreign bodies with any blunt or sharp object. “Do not instil boiling water or oil into the child’s ears or nose and ensure medical attention is sought immediately. Do not feed the kids with banana or rice or any food after diagnosing it to be a foreign body. In case of requirement of anaesthesia to remove the foreign body, there is a risk of aspiration due to feeding. As soon as you reach the hospital, follow the advice of the ENT concerned immediately,” he stressed.