Keywords
Pediatric respiratory emergency
Bronchoscopy management
Children’s airway obstruction
Albania healthcare context
How to Cite
Abstract
Background: Foreign body aspiration constitutes a serious and potentially life-threatening emergency in infants and children. Delayed diagnosis and treatment can result in severe respiratory complications and mortality.
Aim: To evaluate the clinical characteristics, diagnostic approaches, treatments, and outcomes of children with foreign body aspiration managed over a 20-year period in Albania.
Materials and Methods: A retrospective review was conducted of 149 children who underwent rigid bronchoscopy for suspected airway foreign body aspiration at the institution from 2006 to 2015, and 230 children from 2015 to 2024. Demographic data, clinical presentations, referral patterns, diagnostic procedures, complications, and outcomes were analyzed.
Results: During 2006-2015, foreign bodies were removed from the larynx, trachea, or bronchial tree in 105 children. The mean age was 23 months, and 60% of patients were male. A choking episode was reported in 51% of cases, resulting in immediate referral to the ENT service, while 49% initially presented to the pediatric service with symptoms such as cough, pneumonia, or asthma. Flexible bronchoscopy was performed first in the latter group. The overall complication rate was 19%, including emphysema, atelectasis, pneumonia, bronchiectasis, pyopneumothorax, and pneumomediastinum. The false-positive rate was 20%. Complications related to flexible bronchoscopy, such as laryngeal edema, hypoxia, and bleeding, occurred in 6% of patients. One death occurred in a child who presented in hypoxic arrest…
Conclusion: Foreign body aspiration in children remains a medical emergency that requires rapid recognition and prompt intervention with rigid bronchoscopy. Delayed diagnosis is associated with increased complication rates and poorer outcomes.
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