Our body has many defense mechanisms that prevent foreign substances from entering the respiratory tract. However, none of these mechanisms are foolproof, and foreign objects often enter children's airways. Any foreign object entering the respiratory tract is a life-threatening situation in children.
Giving age-incompatible foods to the child during childhood may result in these substances escaping into the respiratory tract. Particularly, snacks, meat pieces, hard fruit pieces, and candy pieces are the most common substances that enter the respiratory tract in young children. Giving such foods to children whose swallowing function is not fully developed and whose teeth are not fully erupted can lead to fatal consequences. The child's crying, laughing and talking while eating such foods make it easier for the child to escape into the respiratory tract. Other substances that can enter the respiratory tract are safety pins, beads, pencil pieces, toy pieces, and needles on the child's clothes.
In case of foreign object entering the respiratory tract, sudden death may occur in children with complete obstruction. Sudden onset of cough, cyanosis, feeling of suffocation, whistling sound during breathing or wheezing are also common symptoms. Sometimes children can cough up a foreign object. However, it is usually not possible to remove it by coughing, especially under the age of 2-3.
Foreign bodies that do not cause respiratory distress cause severe lung infections and bronchial inflammation after a while. At this point, it becomes more difficult to remove these objects.
The diagnosis is made by questioning the patient's history, careful examination and radiological examinations. If there is a suspicion of the presence of a foreign body in the patient's trachea, endoscopy (bronchoscopy) must be performed to remove the foreign body. Bronchoscopy is a very special procedure performed to remove a foreign body in the respiratory tract. It should be performed in the operating room, by experienced hands, with equipment specially designed for children.
Feeding children with foods appropriate to their age, keeping materials that may enter the respiratory tract out of the child's reach, using safety pins on the child's clothes, Avoid pinning things such as pins With these precautions, these potentially fatal accidents can be prevented.
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