title: The management of ingested foreign bodies in an Ear Nose and Throat Emergency Unit: prospective study of 204 cases.
abstract: OBJECTIVE
  To determine how often ingested foreign bodies are found and what parameters may predict their retrieval.
  
  
  METHODS
  During 1 year, we prospectively studied all patients referred to our Ear Nose and Throat Emergency Unit because of foreign body ingestion.
  
  
  RESULTS
  During the study, 204 (median age-42 years [10 months-84 years]) patients were admitted because of ingested foreign body. The most common was fish bone (88%). Most patients were admitted <24-hour after ingestion (72%) and complained of symptoms above the cricoid cartilage (79%). A foreign body was removed by Ear Nose and Throat team in 108 (53%) patients. Twenty-three (11%) patients were referred to Gastroenterology. In 9 (39%) of these patients, a foreign body was identified by esophagogastroscopy, always from the esophagus. Predictive variables for retrieval of foreign body by Ear Nose and Throat team were ingested fish bone (P=.000; odds ratio [OR]=17.3), short duration (<6 hours) of symptoms (P=.001; OR=2.3) and symptoms above or at the level of cricoid cartilage (P=.000; OR=8.9). In patients with symptoms below the cricoid cartilage the rate of retrieval of foreign body by Ear Nose and Throat team (11%) was significantly increased by Gastroenterology (41%; P=.03).
  
  
  CONCLUSIONS
  Patients with ingestion of foreign body who ingest fish bone, present within the first 6 hours or complain of symptoms at or above cricoid cartilage deserve greater investment in terms of time and resources for retrieval of ingested foreign body by Ear Nose and Throat team.
authors: Department of Otorhinolaryngology, Hospital of Braga, Braga, Portugal. nunomarcal.orl@gmail.com
authors: Nuno
authors: N
authors: Marçal
authors: João-Bruno
authors: JB
authors: Soares
authors: Gabriel
authors: G
authors: Pereira
authors: Joana
authors: J
authors: Guimarães
authors: Matos
authors: M
authors: Gonçalves
authors: Tiago
authors: T
authors: Godinho
mesh_terms: D000293:Adolescent; D000328:Adult; D000368:Aged; D000369:Aged, 80 and over; D002648:Child; D002675:Child, Preschool; D004435:Eating; D004636:Emergency Service, Hospital; D005547:Foreign Bodies / Q000209:etiology / Q000628:therapy*; D041981:Gastrointestinal Tract; D006801:Humans; D007223:Infant; D008875:Middle Aged; D010036:Otolaryngology; D011446:Prospective Studies; D055815:Young Adult