Foreign body aspiration during childhood: management experience in Guayaquil - Ecuador

Aspiración de cuerpos extraños durante la infancia: experiencia del manejo en Guayaquil - Ecuador

Background: aspiration of foreign bodies in children is a potentially dangerous event;
With the use of the rigid bronchoscopy technique, his mortality has decreased. The
damage of a foreign body stuck in the airway will depend on its nature, location and the
degree of obstruction it causes. Objective: to present our experience in the diagnosis
and treatment of tracheobronchial foreign bodies in children and adolescents. Methods:
between May 2016 and July 2019, 15 cases were analyzed including demographic
characteristics, time of evolution, symptoms, findings on chest X-ray, type, location of
the foreign body and treatment. Results: 15 patients required rigid bronchoscopy; age
range: 2 months to 168 months, male: female ratio 0.9: 1. The most affected location
was the right bronchus 53%, followed by the trachea 27%, the left bronchus 20%.
The radiological findings corresponded to unilateral hyperinflation 40%, pulmonary
atelectasis 30%, bilateral hyperinflation, lobar atelectasis and pneumonia 13.3%. The
residence time of the foreign body in the airway presented a mean of 168 hours with a
range of 6 to 864 hours. The most frequent symptomatology was cough accompanied
by dyspnea (40%). Foreign bodies were inorganic (73.3%) and organic (26.6%). Overall survival was 93%. Conclusion: in children, the clinical and diagnostic suspicion of
foreign body aspiration is indicated. Rigid bronchoscopy is indicated. This treatment
reduces morbidity and mortality.