title: Inhaled foreign bodies in children: a global perspective on their epidemiological, clinical, and preventive aspects.
abstract: BACKGROUND
  While several articles describe clinical management of foreign bodies injuries in the upper air tract, little epidemiological evidence is available from injury databases.
  
  
  OBJECTIVE
  This article aims to understand the burden of airway FB injuries in high-, low-, and middle-income countries as emerging from scientific literature.
  
  
  METHODS
  One thousand six hundred ninety-nine published articles 1978-2008.
  
  
  METHODS
  A free text search on PubMed database ((foreign bodies) or (foreign body)) and ((aspiration) or (airways) or (tracheobronchial) or (nasal) or (inhalation) or (obstruction) or (choking) or (inhaled) or (aspirations) or (nose) or (throat) or (asphyxiation)) and ((children) or (child)).
  
  
  METHODS
  Information on reported injuries according to country, time period, children sex and age, FB type, site of obstruction, symptoms, signs, diagnostic and therapeutic procedures, delay at the diagnosis, complications, number of deaths.
  
  
  RESULTS
  Serious complications occur both in high-income and low-middle income countries in a considerable proportion of cases (10% and 20%, respectively). Similarly, death is not infrequent (5-7% of cases).
  
  
  CONCLUSIONS
  Few countries have good systematic data collection and there's a lack of sensibility in parents and clinicians in terms of acknowledge of the choking risk. On the contrary, international surveillance systems able to collect information in a standardized way need to be implemented.
authors.affiliation: Department of Environmental Medicine and Public Health, University of Padova, Padova, Italy.
authors.forename: Francesca
authors.initials: F
authors.lastname: Foltran
authors.forename: Simonetta
authors.initials: S
authors.lastname: Ballali
authors.forename: Hugo
authors.initials: H
authors.lastname: Rodriguez
authors.forename: Arjan B
authors.initials: AB
authors.lastname: Sebastian van As
authors.forename: Desiderio
authors.initials: D
authors.lastname: Passali
authors.forename: Achal
authors.initials: A
authors.lastname: Gulati
authors.forename: Dario
authors.initials: D
authors.lastname: Gregori
mesh_terms: D000402:Airway Obstruction / Q000175:diagnosis / Q000453:epidemiology / Q000209:etiology* / Q000517:prevention & control; D002648:Child; D019049:Developed Countries; D003906:Developing Countries; D005547:Foreign Bodies / Q000150:complications / Q000175:diagnosis / Q000453:epidemiology / Q000517:prevention & control; D014943:Global Health; D006801:Humans; D007830:Larynx; D008168:Lung; D009666:Nose; D053120:Respiratory Aspiration / Q000150:complications / Q000175:diagnosis / Q000453:epidemiology / Q000517:prevention & control; D012307:Risk Factors; D014132:Trachea