• Nuno Marçal, João-Bruno Soares, Gabriel Pereira, Joana Guimarães, Matos Gonçalves, and Tiago Godinho.
• Department of Otorhinolaryngology, Hospital of Braga, Braga, Portugal. nunomarcal.orl@gmail.com
• Acta Otorrinolaringol Esp. 2013 May 1; 64 (3): 197-203.

AimsTo determine how often ingested foreign bodies are found and what parameters may predict their retrieval.MethodsDuring 1 year, we prospectively studied all patients referred to our Ear Nose and Throat Emergency Unit because of foreign body ingestion.ResultsDuring the study, 204 (median age-42 years [10 months-84 years]) patients were admitted because of ingested foreign body. The most common was fish bone (88%). Most patients were admitted <24-hour after ingestion (72%) and complained of symptoms above the cricoid cartilage (79%). A foreign body was removed by Ear Nose and Throat team in 108 (53%) patients. Twenty-three (11%) patients were referred to Gastroenterology. In 9 (39%) of these patients, a foreign body was identified by esophagogastroscopy, always from the esophagus. Predictive variables for retrieval of foreign body by Ear Nose and Throat team were ingested fish bone (P=.000; odds ratio [OR]=17.3), short duration (<6 hours) of symptoms (P=.001; OR=2.3) and symptoms above or at the level of cricoid cartilage (P=.000; OR=8.9). In patients with symptoms below the cricoid cartilage the rate of retrieval of foreign body by Ear Nose and Throat team (11%) was significantly increased by Gastroenterology (41%; P=.03).ConclusionsPatients with ingestion of foreign body who ingest fish bone, present within the first 6 hours or complain of symptoms at or above cricoid cartilage deserve greater investment in terms of time and resources for retrieval of ingested foreign body by Ear Nose and Throat team.Copyright © 2012 Elsevier España, S.L. All rights reserved.

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