title: Foreign body asphyxiation in children.
abstract: We aimed to investigate the frequency and epidemiological features of deaths due to foreign body asphyxiation (FBA) in childhood, over 1990-2003. Of the victims, 14 (63.6%) were male and 8 (36.4%) females. The mean age of the victims was 2.2 +/- 0.6 years. There were 20 (90.9%) children between 1 and 3 years, and two other cases at 2/12 and 5 years of ages. All aspirations had occurred at home. Eight (36.4%) of the victims were dead on arrival, 11 (50%) on intervention, and 3 (13.6%) after complications. Food material was the most commonly aspirated foreign body in 81.8% of the cases, nuts being the most common (50%). Food asphyxiation remains a common problem particularly in children between 1 and 3 years of age in our region. These fatal accidents can be prevented by parental education and early recognition and management of the situation.
authors.affiliation: Department of Forensic Medicine, Faculty of Medicine, Dicle University, Turkey. sgoren@dicle.edu.tr
authors.forename: Suleyman
authors.initials: S
authors.lastname: Goren
authors.forename: Fuat
authors.initials: F
authors.lastname: Gurkan
authors.forename: Yasar
authors.initials: Y
authors.lastname: Tirasci
authors.forename: Ziya
authors.initials: Z
authors.lastname: Kaya
authors.forename: Kemalettin
authors.initials: K
authors.lastname: Acar
mesh_terms: D001237:Asphyxia / Q000453:epidemiology / Q000209:etiology*; D002675:Child, Preschool; D005260:Female; D005547:Foreign Bodies / Q000150:complications* / Q000453:epidemiology; D006801:Humans; D007223:Infant; D008297:Male; D012189:Retrospective Studies; D014421:Turkey / Q000453:epidemiology