Clinical Study of Childhood Accidents from a Hospital Over Ten Years with Regard to Foreign Body Aspiration

ABSTRACT

PURPOSE: Childhood accidents have been increasing recently. Accidents rank as the leading cause of childhood mortality and morbidity. We performed this study to evaluate the causes of childhood accidents. METHODS: The authors analysed retrospectively the medical records of 6,410 cases of childhood accidental injuries who visited the emergency room of Asan Medical Center from January 1990 to December 1999. RESULTS: The most common type of accidents was trauma which accounted for 5,038 cases of the total accidents, followed by falls, burns, foreign body aspiration, and poisoning. The most common age of foreign body aspiration was under two years old and the male to female ratio was 2 to 1. The most common site of foreign body aspiration was the esophagus and the stomach, followed by the respiratory tract. In airways, the right and left main bronchus were the most common site for foreign body aspiration and were accompanied by the highest mortality. The most common foreign body in the gastrointestinal tract and respiratory tract were coins and peanuts, respectively. CONCLUSION: The most common cause of accidents was trauma, followed by falls, burns, foreign body aspiration, and poisoning. The incidence of foreign body aspiration and poisoning is increasing in infants. In cases of foreign bodies in airways, proper management is needed because of the high mortality rate.