Removal of Visualized Nasal Foreign Bodies with a Clip

Jang, Pyong Moon; Cho, Young Soon; Kim, Ho Jung

Abstract

PURPOSE
Nasal foreign bodies in children are often encountered in emergency medicine and treated using many methods. This study was conducted to describe the benefit of a clip used in the removal of visualized nasal foreign bodies in the emergency department (ED) and in outpatient settings.
METHODS
The charts of all patients who presented to the ED of our hospital with the diagnosis of a "foreign body in the nose" between January 2006 and May 2007 were reviewed. The information recorded included age, the type of foreign body, the method of extraction, the need for an otolaryngology referral, and complications.
RESULTS
Eighty-two charts were reviewed. The mean patient age was 3 years; 47 patients were girls. The objects in the nose included the following: beans (25 [30.5%]), beads (23 [28.0%]), BB pellets (5 [6.1%]), buttons (4 [4.9%]), toys (4 [4.9%]), rocks (3 [3.7%]), and others. The ED physicians removed foreign bodies from 76 patients with clips (71 [86.6%]) and forceps (5 [6.1%]). The nasal foreign bodies of six patients were removed using forceps with the aid of a fiber endoscope by the otolaryngology staff.
CONCLUSION
A clip with a curved hook is easy to fashion using common ED equipment, and removal of visualized foreign bodies with such a clip is relatively safe without complications.