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Nasal foreign bodies in children – our experiences at a tertiary care teaching hospital in Eastern India

Background Children with nasal foreign body (FB) often come to clinician for its removal. These children often present with foul-smelling nasal discharge, nasal obstruction, nasal mucosal irritation, and epistaxis. In most cases, unilateral nasal FB is easily removed but occasionally may lead to life-threatening situation. Objectives To study the details of the nasal FBs including treatment in children at a tertiary care teaching hospital of Eastern India. Patients and methods This retrospective study was done between June 2015 and July 2020 and included children attending the otorhinolaryngology clinic and emergency unit for nasal FB. Patient details such as age, sex, symptoms, type of FB, techniques of removal, and complications are analyzed. Results A total of 318 children with FB were included in this study. The mean age of the participants was 4.23 ± 1.8 years (range, 0–16 years); the male to female ratio was 1.6: 1 (male predominance). Most FB cases were owing to organic substances such as vegetables (30.81%), and nonorganic FB were paper piece, plastic piece, foam, metallic nuts, and button battery cell. The commonest clinical presentation among participating children was unilateral foul-smelling nasal discharge. Complications included epistaxis, rhinosinusitis, rhinolith, and perforation of the nasal septum. Conclusion FBs in the nasal cavities are a common accidental medical problem, especially in pediatric age. These nasal FBs are often harmless but may cause complications in some cases if neglected or overlooked without removing it in time. However, the best treatment remains the prevention.