Author: Gretchen Hinson, MD

Educational Pearls:

• Diagnosis can be difficult and often delayed
• Asymmetric breath sounds, choking, stridor may be present, but children also present asymptomatically
• Peak incidence around one to two years of age
• Hot dogs, nuts, popcorn – round and smooth objects are most commonly aspirated

References:

Green SS. Ingested and Aspirated Foreign Bodies. Pediatr Rev. 2015 Oct;36(10):430-6. doi: 10.1542/pir.36-10-430. Review. PubMed PMID: 26430203.

Sink JR, Kitsko DJ, Georg MW, Winger DG, Simons JP. Predictors of Foreign Body Aspiration in Children. Otolaryngol Head Neck Surg. 2016 Sep;155(3):501-7. doi: 10.1177/0194599816644410. Epub 2016 Apr 12. PubMed PMID: 27071446.

Summary by Travis Barlock, MS4 | Edited by Erik Verzemnieks, MD