Will children ever learn? Removal of nasal and aural foreign bodies: a study of hospital episode statistics

Abstract

Introduction Foreign body removal is a common reason for children to attend the emergency department. Generally, aural and nasal foreign bodies are not associated with immediate morbidity unless they are button batteries. There can be consequences of migration and removal. Methods Hospital Episode Statistics for 2010–2016 were used to calculate the number of nasal and aural foreign bodies that have been removed in hospital. Data for adults and children have been compared. Results 8752 nasal and 17,325 aural foreign bodies have been removed from adults and children over the course of 6 years. Children were responsible for 95% of the 8353 nasal and 85% of the 14,875 aural foreign body presentations. Children aged 1–4 years are most at risk of injury. Conclusion Children are more likely to present to hospital than adults with a foreign body in the ear or nose. Aural bodies were more likely to need removal in hospital for both populations. Authors believe that these require identification and removal by an ear, nose and throat specialist to prevent morbidity. The overall number of procedures performed annually in children has not reduced over the study period; an average of 1218 nasal and 2479 aural foreign body removals are performed each year with an annual cost of £2,880,148 to NHS England.