Foreign bodies of ear, nose and throat in paediatric age groups: A retrospective study

Introduction: Patients in paediatric age group in a routine otorhinolaryngology outpatient department present with varied complaints of foreign body insertion. They can be sometimes simple to remove but at many instances produce tricky surgical challenges to safely remove the foreign body. The evaluation of the psychosocial behaviour of patients presenting with foreign bodies in the ear, nose, and throat aims to develop a protocol based on a scoring system for their removal. Methods: Emergency department data from September 2021 to August 2024 was analysed retrospectively. A group of 217 patients below 15years of age who presented with foreign bodies of ear, nose and throat were included for study. Their biological data, psychosocial state, type and location of foreign body, presentation, associated complication and methodology for removal and postoperative management were obtained. Results: The patients in early childhood (1-5 yrs) had maximum number of foreign bodies (131, 60.36%). The foreign bodies were mostly located in ears (57.14%), nose (19.35%), oropharynx (13.82%), oesophagus (8.75%) and bronchus (0.92%) sequentially according to numbers. Conclusion: This study highlights the prevalence and distribution of foreign bodies in paediatric patients with their psychological state, particularly in early childhood. It also proposes a novel scoring system to aid in the effective planning and management of foreign body retrieval in emergency settings.