ABSTRACT

Foreign body aspiration is a serious life threatening clinical condition requiring immediate intervention. Whether the result is death or recovery following a treatment, such cases are always referred to judicial system.

In this study, the general characteristics of the cases with a complaint of foreign body aspiration brought to Ondokuz Mayıs University Medicine Faculty Health and Care Center was investigated.

Within the scope of this sectional study, a total of 82 aspiration cases in 2004 were re-evaluated by examining the judicial case files.

Foreign body aspiration cases make up of the 2,7% of all 3058 medicolegal cases in the year 2004. The mean age of the total population was 4 (1-81) years. The incidence according to age range was highest in 0-9 years group accounting for 52 (63,4%) of the cases. The nature of aspirated bodies are as fol-lows; food aspiration 36 (43,9%) cases, coins 1 (13,4%) cases and needle with ball aspiration 9 (11,0%) cases. Pediatric Surgery Department intervened the 36 (43,9%) of the cases, and 29,3% of the cases were treated on discharged on the first day of ad-mission, 68,3% of them were hospitalized and stayed in hospi-tal between 1-12 days. 36 (43,9%) of the cases had symptomatic treatment, 21 (25,6%) of them had bronchoscopy, 19 (23,2%) had endoscopy, 4 (4,9%) of them underwent surgery under general anesthesia, 2 (2,4%) of the cases rejected treatment. In one of the cases hypoxic encephalopathy and epilepsy arouse, and in two of the cases aspiration pneumonia developed, no comp-lication was observed in other cases.

These results suggest that foreign body aspiration is a serio-us condition predominantly during childhood similar to other studies. Family training should be emphasized in order to take preventive precautions and to lessen risk factors.

Keywords: Foreign body aspiration, judicial case