Foreign bodies of the nose and ears in children: Should these be managed in the accident and emergency setting?

SummaryObjectiveThis study reviews the management of children with foreign bodies in the nose or ear in an attempt to see whether these children can be successfully managed in the Accident and Emergency (A & E) Department or whether they should be directly referred to the Otolaryngology service.MethodsThe records of all children with a foreign body in either the nose or ear who presented to the Accident and Emergency Department at The National Children's Hospital over a 2-year period were reviewed.Results82 children presented with a foreign body in the nose and 53 (65%) were successfully managed in the A & E Department. In contrast, of the 58 children with a foreign body in the ear only 4 (7%) were successfully removed in the A & E Department.ConclusionMost foreign bodies in the nose can be successfully removed in the Accident and Emergency Department. In contrast there is a high failure rate in removal of foreign bodies from the ear in the A & E Department and these should be referred directly to the ENT service.