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It is a well-known fact among parents that children
sometimes put things such as dried beans, small toys, or beads in their ears,
nose, or mouth. Such inappropriate objects may cause harm if immediate medical
attention is not provided. Often, caregivers are unaware that a child has taken
in such an object and this makes getting the right treatment more difficult.
The symptoms caused by these objects range from
discomfort and pain, to decreased hearing, changes or noises from breathing,
difficulty swallowing or choking and sometimes drainage especially from objects
in the ear or nose. If there is difficulty breathing, the object could cause
serious problems and immediate action should be taken.
Doctors call these objects foreign bodies. A
recent medical studyhas shown that with some people it is hard to see certain
types of foreign bodies with the naked eye. It recommends that “these cases
should be referred directly to otolaryngologists for otomicroscopic removal or
removal with special light scopes.” In other words, an ear, nose, and throat
specialist physician should remove such objects to avoid further
harm.
Facts about foreign bodies in the ear, nose, and
airway
- Children under age five are the most likely to
ingest foreign bodies in the ear, nose, or airway. But teenagers and
irresponsible adults have been known to engage in such activities as well,
though these are often accidental happenings.
- Foreign bodies in the ear canal are found most
often in children between the ages of two and four.
- Airway obstruction from foreign bodies may cause
suffocation and death. This accounts for nearly nine percent of accidental
deaths in the home, especially among children under the age of five years.
- About five percent of all children swallow coins,
and a coin-swallower’s average age is three.
Foreign bodies in the ear
Children usually place things in their ear canal
because they are bored, curious, or copying other children. Sometimes one
child may put an object in another child's ear during play. It is important for
parents to be aware that children may cause themselves or other children great
harm by placing objects in the ear. There may also be a link between
chronic outer ear infections and children who tend to place things in their
ears. Insects may also fly into the ear canal, causing potential harm. Any
child with a chronically draining ear should be evaluated for a foreign
body.
Some of the items that are commonly found in the ear
(usually the canal) of young children include the following: food, insects,
toys, buttons, pieces of crayon, and small button-shaped batteries. Teenagers
sometimes have objects imbedded in the ear lobe due to an infection from a
pierced ear or a poorly healed piecing.
Treatment
The treatment for foreign bodies in the ear is prompt
removal of the object by your child's physician. The following are some
of the techniques that may be used by your child's physician to remove the
object from the ear canal:
-
instruments may be inserted in the
ear;
-
magnets are sometimes used if the object is
metal;
-
cleaning the ear canal with
water;
-
filling the ear with mineral oil to suffocate
an insect; and
-
use of a suction machine to help pull the
object out.
After removal of the object, your child's
physician will re-examine the ear to determine if there has been any injury to
the ear canal. Antibiotic drops for the ear may be prescribed to treat
any possible infections.
Foreign bodies in the nose
Objects that are put into the child's nose are
usually, but not always, soft things like tissue, clay, and pieces of toys or
erasers. Harder objects, much like those commonly put in the ear, may also
be put into the nose. From time to time, a foreign body may enter the nose
while the child is trying to smell the object.
Symptoms
The most common symptom of a foreign body in the nose is
nasal drainage. The drainage often has a bad odor. Parents should suspect a
foreign body and not a “cold” when drainage is from only one nostril. In some
cases, the child may also have a bloody nose.
Treatment
Foreign objects in your child’s nose should be removed
promptly. Sedating the child is sometimes necessary in order to remove
the object successfully. This may necessitate a trip to the hospital,
depending on the extent of the problem and the cooperation of the child.
Some of the techniques that your child's physician may use to remove the
object from the nose include suction machines with tubes attached or
instruments such as small tweezers called forceps.
After removal of the object, your child's
physician may re-examine the nose with a special fiberoptic light looking for
another foreign body or may prescribe nose drops or antibiotic ointments to
treat any possible infections.
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