Boy suffered septal cartilage destruction and mucosal necrosis due to electronic battery falling into his nasal cavity

SGGPO 10/26/2023 12:24 PM

When there are signs of suspicion that a child has a foreign object left in the nose (runny nose on one side, nosebleed with foul odor, strange sound when breathing, increased wheezing, etc.), especially an electronic battery foreign object, the child should be taken to the hospital for immediate examination.

The doctor is examining the patient

On October 26, Ho Chi Minh City Ear, Nose and Throat Hospital announced that the unit had just received and treated two cases of dangerous foreign body aspiration.

The first case was a 5-year-old boy who had a continuous bleeding from his left nose for 3 days. His family only used tissue paper to stuff his nose to stop the bleeding and did not take him to the hospital immediately, because they did not know that he had a foreign object. When he was admitted to the hospital, doctors discovered a cylindrical foreign object, suspected to be an electronic battery, in the boy's left nostril through endoscopy.

The child was diagnosed with septal cartilage destruction and necrosis of the mucosa. During the treatment, doctors cleaned the necrotic tissue, irrigated the nose, and removed the battery from the child's nose. Although the foreign object was removed, according to doctors, the septal perforation is a lifelong irreversible condition that will affect the child's ventilation and sinusitis in the future.

The second case is Mr. PTG (36 years old) who had a red tilapia fish bone stuck in his throat for about 3 days, had pain when swallowing, had a hoarse voice, and had poor appetite. The patient tried traditional methods such as taking vitamin C effervescent tablets and swallowing rice, but there was no improvement, so he went to the hospital for help.

At the time of admission, the patient was noted to have diabetes and psoriasis and was being treated. CT scan showed a foreign body, a piece of bone from the hypopharynx - esophageal orifice, penetrating the neck, involving the area under the right thyroid cartilage. The outer end of the foreign body was about 4mm from the skin. The patient had inflammation in many locations such as the thyroid gland, hypopharynx, sinuses... the possibility of an abscess cannot be ruled out.

Immediately, the patient underwent endoscopic surgery on the hypopharynx, esophagus, and neck opening to remove the bone and receive intensive medical treatment. The bone fragment after removal was about 35mm long. After surgery, Mr. G's health gradually stabilized.

The Board of Directors of Ho Chi Minh City Ear, Nose and Throat Hospital provides information on cases of foreign objects.

According to Dr. Le Tran Quang Minh, Director of the Ho Chi Minh City Ear, Nose and Throat Hospital, foreign objects in the nose and throat leave serious complications, and the treatment is also very complicated. When performing surgery, it will leave a scar in the neck area, along with the risk of dangerous complications such as infection, access to the large arterial and venous systems in the neck area, causing ulcers, necrosis and perforation of blood vessels. If it enters the thyroid area, it will cause thyroiditis.

Doctors recommend that parents avoid letting their children come into contact with small, sharp objects (such as toothpicks, batteries), and toys that can be taken apart. If there are signs that your child has a foreign object left in their nose (runny nose on one side, nosebleeds with a foul odor, strange sounds when breathing, increased wheezing, etc.), especially electronic battery foreign objects, you should take them to the hospital for immediate examination.

“In case parents directly discover that their child has a foreign object stuck in their ear, nose, or throat, the first thing to do is not to panic, which will scare the child as well. In addition, do not attempt to remove the foreign object yourself, because doing so incorrectly (especially in the throat area) can cause the foreign object to “migrate” deeper into dangerous areas,” Dr. Le Tran Quang Minh advised.

In the past 5 years, the ENT Hospital has received 65 cases of foreign objects such as electronic batteries in the nose for treatment. On average, there are about 10 cases of foreign objects such as electronic batteries in the nose each year.

In one case, a child claimed that a classmate had stuffed a battery into his nose. This is a very worrying situation, as it can affect the child's health for life.

Source: https://www.sggp.org.vn/be-trai-bi-huy-sun-vach-ngan-hoai-tu-niem-mac-do-pin-dien-tu-roi-vao-hoc-mui-post711453.html