Publication:

Clinical spectrum of foreign bodies entrapped in ear, nose, and throat, in a tertiary care centre, Coimbatore

Background Foreign bodies (FB’s) lodged in the ears, nose, and throat are common issues encountered by clinicians. The aim was to analyze the clinical spectrum of FBs entrapped in ear, nose, and throat methods of removal, outcomes and complications encountered in a tertiary care hospital.

Methods A cross-sectional study carried out in a tertiary care center, from March 2021-June 2022 (all patients seeking emergency care for ENT FBs, visiting the Emergency Department, Otorhinolaryngology Department were included). ENT examination was done thoroughly for all the cases and relevant radiological investigations necessary for detecting the anatomical site, in cases of inaccessible areas, were taken.

Results A total of 55 patients were included in this study among which the major proportion of the FB impactions were found in children <5 years of age. The most common site of FB lodgment was the hypopharynx and upper esophagus (n=25, 45.4%) and the most found objects were inert objects (n=23, 41.8%). The most common foreign body in oropharynx is fish bone, in hypopharynx and esophagus is chicken bone, in larynx and tracheobronchial tree is fish bone. In this study, FB was mostly removed using esophagoscopy.

Conclusions Foreign bodies entrapped in the ear, nose, and throat most commonly occur in children <5 years. Early presentation with proper intervention reduces the rate of complications and the duration of hospital stay. Direct removal is the mainstay of treatment; however, in inaccessible areas where proper visualization cannot be achieved, radiographs followed by otoendoscopy, nasal endoscopy, laryngoscopy, bronchoscopy, and esophagoscopy are recommended depending on the clinical scenario.