title: Inhalation of a plastic wall plug: implications of foreign body characteristics in paediatric patients.
abstract: Foreign body inhalation causing asphyxiation is a significant cause of death in children under 4 years. Approximately one-fifth of the cases are inorganic industrial objects. We describe the case of an 18-month-old boy who presented with respiratory distress after inhaling a wall plug. An emergency rigid bronchoscopy was performed; however, the nature of the object and its location within the airway proved it difficult to identify at first look, causing the removal to be a challenge even in the most skilled of hands. Furthermore, its design contributed to the severity of obstruction of the airway and hence risk of death. This case prompts a discussion on the safety implications of small inorganic product designs and the measures currently being taken by manufacturers and clinicians to prevent the fatal asphyxiation in children.
authors.affiliation: Department of ENT, Lister Hospital, Stevenage, UK.
authors.forename: Nora
authors.initials: N
authors.lastname: Haloob
authors.forename: Peter
authors.initials: P
authors.lastname: Loizou
authors.forename: Marie
authors.initials: M
authors.lastname: Lyons
mesh_terms: D000402:Airway Obstruction / Q000209:etiology* / Q000628:therapy; D001999:Bronchoscopy; D005547:Foreign Bodies / Q000150:complications*; D006801:Humans; D007223:Infant; D008297:Male; D053120:Respiratory Aspiration / Q000150:complications*; D014132:Trachea