Foreign Body Aspiration in Northern Ghana: A Review of Pediatric Patients

BACKGROUND: Foreign body (FB) aspiration requires a high index of suspicion for diagnosis and prompt management to avoid morbidity and mortality. This retrospective study was conducted to review pediatric foreign body aspiration at the Ear, Nose and Throat (ENT) Unit of the Tamale Teaching Hospital (TTH). MATERIALS AND METHODS: The theater records of children managed for foreign body aspiration from January 2010 to December 2016 at the ENT Unit of TTH were retrieved and data summarized with respect to age, gender, indications for bronchoscopy, nature of foreign body, location of foreign body, and outcome of the bronchoscopy procedure. RESULTS: A total of 33 children were managed within the five-year study period and comprised 16 (48.5%) males and 17 (51.5%) females. The commonly aspirated FBs were groundnuts (13, 39.4%) and metallic objects (7, 21.1%). The peak incidence occurred in children aged ≤ 3 years. The foreign bodies (FBs) were commonly localized to the right (24.2%) and left (24.2%) main bronchi, respectively. One patient had emergency tracheostomy for failed bronchoscopy. CONCLUSION: Groundnuts were the most commonly aspirated foreign body with most of the FBs localized in the bronchi.