If a child accidentally swallowed a foreign body - what should be done? What to do if a child swallows a foreign body

15.06.2019

Toddlers are creatures that require constant attention and control. As soon as they have learned to crawl and walk, reach shelves and drawers, parents need to remember that the child is exploring the world with his hands and mouth, which means that there is a high probability that something will be put into this very mouth and swallowed or inhaled. The condition when a child swallows or inhales a foreign body can be dangerous to life and health. Therefore, it is necessary to know how it manifests itself, what is dangerous and what to do.

Foreign bodies in the digestive system

In pediatric surgery, foreign bodies, especially in babies of the first years of life, are not uncommon, doctors even collect their own museums of what is found in the body of children. According to statistics, every fourth child aged from one year to 5-6 years swallowed foreign objects at least once in his life, greatly frightening his parents.

Putting toys and objects into the mouth is one of the stages in the development of the baby, the “oral stage” of learning the world, so the child receives information about the shape, properties and taste of objects. And the task of parents is to make the knowledge of the world by mouth safe. Therefore, it is necessary to carefully monitor what gets into the hands and mouth of the baby: these should be large objects and safe surfaces. However, we are all people, we are often forgetful and absent-minded, and it is not always possible to keep track of the crumbs.

Most often, foreign objects fall during games, if the baby is very interested in some object. The outcome will depend on the size, shape, surface and type of object, not all of them are dangerous for the baby. Small foreign bodies can freely leave the body themselves. Parents will be happy to discover the loss at the bottom of the pot. However, there is always a chance that the swallowed object will get stuck in the esophagus or intestines. Only sufficiently large or complex objects can remain in the stomach.

If a foreign body is in the esophagus

This is a very dangerous situation, as the child's esophagus is very sensitive and vulnerable. In addition, it has muscle groups that, when irritated by the edges of the object, can spasm and lead to complications. Therefore, you need to know what should alert you to the well-being of the child. First of all, when swallowing, the child will complain of pain, and he will point to the sternum and inside the chest. In addition, while swallowing saliva, he will complain of discomfort, and solid food may not even be able to swallow. Dangerous in babies is the appearance of nausea and vomiting, as well as the occurrence of coughing. If such symptoms occur in a child, immediately contact the nearest hospital, conduct an examination. Delay with such symptoms is dangerous by perforation (hole formation) of the esophagus with bleeding and food masses entering the chest area - this is life-threatening.

Foreign body in the digestive system

Often, when parents discover that the baby has swallowed something, but it does not manifest itself outwardly, does not cause discomfort, then mom and dad choose expectant tactics. However, it is not always possible to wait for the release of a foreign body, even if the baby is outwardly healthy. There is a category of items that are dangerous by the very fact of being in the digestive system, waiting for them to appear in a pot is very dangerous for health, and sometimes even for the life of a crumb.

So, potentially dangerous, and therefore requiring the immediate help of a specialist, include:

needles, pins, push pins, paper clips, toothpicks, fishhooks, cloves, and other very sharp and small items
objects from three centimeters in length
batteries and batteries of any type and type - watch, finger, little finger, from toys
magnets, especially if the child swallowed not one, but several pieces
glass, pieces of ceramic with sharp edges
large seeds from fruits - peach, apricot, plum

It is possible to observe the child if he swallowed a streamlined object (buttons, rounded stones, balls, coins) and a small size. Then the waiting period will be from one to 3-4 days with a constant careful study of the child's stool. If during this time the object is not found in the contents of the pot, you should consult a doctor.

In the case when you did not see the process of swallowing with your own eyes (for example, you scattered and pulled coins into your mouth), it would be useful to carefully inspect the apartment. Perhaps the object rolled under the sofa or closet, and you do not need to worry.

What is possible and what is not?

A common mistake parents make is giving the child a series of enemas, or using laxatives to make the item come out faster. This is unacceptable, since a foreign body in itself is a stress for the digestive system, and the acceleration of its work can lead to injury to the organs by the edges of the object, or its getting stuck in the intestine and the formation of intestinal obstruction.

If you are sure that the child has swallowed a dangerous object, call an ambulance and before it arrives, do not attempt to remove it yourself, so as not to cause additional injury. You should not try to shake out the object, push it further with a crust of bread, you should not water and feed the child (if the object is large, has sharp edges and needs to be removed).

If it is a small coin, a button or a small ball, an object with smooth edges, up to 1-2 cm in size, some measures can help the child remove a foreign object from the body - this is, for example, eating foods rich in fiber - fruits, vegetables or bran.

If you are not sure that the object was swallowed, and also if you do not know exactly what the baby swallowed, carefully monitor his condition for three days, if any disturbing symptoms appear, immediately contact the surgeons at the children's hospital for help. These dangers include:

pain in the abdomen, localized or diffuse, which does not subside, but, on the contrary, intensifies
the child has nausea, vomiting, usually repeated
the child has blood in the stool that occurs after a bowel movement or between them
any other unexplained symptom that was not present before the child swallowed the object

All these manifestations require immediate examination, it is better to play it safe, and thereby avoid danger.

Foreign body in the respiratory system

From the mouth, a foreign body can fall either into the esophagus or into the respiratory tract. The latter circumstance is much more dangerous, as it leads to a violation of the supply of oxygen to the lungs. A feature of the child's respiratory tract is that they look like branching tubes of decreasing diameter. The entrance to the larynx is carried out through the vocal cords, which are tightly closed and will not allow the foreign body to come out. In addition, the child's trachea and bronchi are pliable and soft; when coughing, a foreign body can be "knocked" into them. If the body is large enough to block the windpipe, suffocation and death can occur. When it enters a large bronchus, various degrees of respiratory failure are formed.

Most often, children from a year to 3-5 years old suffer, who are pulled into their mouths, and in addition, this often happens when playing, pampering, laughing, crying, talking at the table. Most often, seeds, nuts, pieces of food, beans, cereals, seeds, husks, small toys, balls, sweets, threads enter the respiratory system.

How does it manifest itself?

The right bronchus suffers more often, it is wider and larger, therefore, paroxysmal coughing, weakening of breathing, and a lot of whistling noises in the lungs are primarily noted. In addition, there is a sign of severe stenosis of the upper respiratory tract - suffocation with lengthening of inspiration, blue face, sensation of a foreign body and a hoarse voice. If a foreign body is stuck in the trachea, clapping may be heard when screaming or crying. In addition, a foreign body is also dangerous with complications - especially if it is food products with oil or fat. Chemical bronchitis, pneumonia, purulent abscess may develop. If a foreign body perforates the bronchus, this can lead to mediastinitis - a purulent inflammation of the chest cavity, life-threatening.

If you find such symptoms, immediately call an ambulance or go to the hospital yourself. Do not try to remove the foreign body yourself if the child can breathe, just do not hold back the cough.

If the child turns blue, there are attacks of suffocation, urgently call for resuscitation, and before her arrival, try to remove the foreign body with some tricks.

For a child up to a year
Place it with your belly on your forearm, supporting your chin and back, face down, head at about a 60 degree angle down. With the edge of the palm, apply about 5 blows between the shoulder blades, look into the mouth for a foreign body. If there is no result, we put the child with his back on his knees, placing his head below the level of the priests, we produce 4-5 pushes just below the nipples of the chest, without pressing on the stomach, if the body comes out, we remove it. If all else fails, before the ambulance arrives, try to carry out artificial ventilation of the lungs and repeat the techniques.

For a child over one year old
Go behind the baby, wrap your arms around his waist, press on the stomach between the navel and the xiphoid process. It is necessary to make a sharp push up, 4-5 times with an interval of 3-5 seconds, if the foreign body comes out, it is removed. If not - carry out repeated actions, soothe the child.

How are they treated?

Children with foreign bodies are hospitalized in the pediatric surgical department. First of all, they clarify where the foreign body is stuck and what its character is. If it is an iron, radiopaque body, it is easy to detect on an x-ray. But food and plastic cannot be seen on x-rays. Often, for diagnosis and simultaneous treatment, endoscopy of the digestive or respiratory system is used. A thin tube with a camera and forceps at the end is inserted into the esophagus, stomach and intestines, their walls and contents are examined, the body is grasped and taken out. The procedure is sometimes performed even without anesthesia.

Everything is more complicated with the bronchi - all manipulations there are done only under anesthesia, otherwise the glottis will close and will not let the apparatus through. After that, the child is monitored, and if necessary, antibiotics are prescribed to prevent infection of the bronchi and lungs.

Precautionary measures

Most often, such incidents are the result of parental carelessness. Therefore, as soon as the baby begins to crawl, walk on all fours throughout the apartment and remove all small and dangerous objects from his access zone. Buy toys by age, without small parts and durable, which the baby will not be able to break or break. Do not leave your child to play with coins, buttons, cereals unattended. If you need to leave the room, carefully inspect the toys, but rather take the baby with you. Do not let the playing baby out of your line of sight!

Small children put everything in their mouths and can sometimes swallow a small object. Most often, babies swallow pins, small parts of toys, coins, needles, small batteries or toys. How to understand and what to do if a child has swallowed a foreign body, we will consider in the article.

The child swallowed something small - first aid

Objects that get into the trachea or windpipe become really dangerous, as they block oxygen access, as a result of which the baby can suffocate. Small objects that are swallowed and end up in the digestive tract are often easily excreted, but sometimes get stuck in the esophagus. A swallowed microbattery can cause erosion of the intestinal mucosa, therefore, if there is a suspicion that the baby has swallowed something, an x-ray is taken to find out which particular object got into the digestive tract and its location. After that, the doctor plans further actions.

It is good if it was immediately noticed that the child had swallowed a foreign object. In this case, the harm done is minimal, since the doctor's help will be quick and timely.

Symptoms that the baby has inhaled or swallowed something:

When a small object enters the respiratory tract, there are signs of suffocation: the child turns blue, turns pale, suffocates.
An object in the digestive system causes urge to vomit, salivation becomes profuse after 15 or 20 minutes .

Such symptoms serve as a reason to consult a doctor, you should immediately call an ambulance. Sometimes the baby will cough and it seems that his condition has improved, but you still need to contact the doctor, because not all objects can come out without having a detrimental effect on the digestive tract. It is unlikely that they will pull out a small coin, a bead, a bone or a detail of a designer, but they will follow its movement by means of an X-ray. Doctors remove larger objects.

Features of different objects that a child could swallow: table

Swallowed objects behave differently in the child's body, their traumatic effect on the body is also different.

How do they behave in the body and why are swallowed objects dangerous?

Item	Signs that a child has swallowed an object	How does the object behave in the body?	What to do?
Battery	If it gets stuck in the throat, the baby coughs, suffocates. The stool becomes dark green or black with a metallic odor, usually within a couple of days of being swallowed. Fever, vomiting, loss of consciousness.	Under the influence of heat, moisture and gastric acid, the battery oxidizes and acid begins to corrode the gastric mucosa.	If the child is choking, induce vomiting. Call an ambulance as soon as possible or go to the hospital yourself.
Magnet	There may be no symptoms for several days. Later, a runny nose, cough, abdominal pain, high fever, loss of consciousness appear.	In 30% of cases, it is retained in the esophagus, in 70% - in the stomach. A magnet with sharp edges injures the mucosa of the esophagus. Several magnets are attracted to each other, seriously injuring the intestines.	Do not induce vomiting, do not give food or food, seek medical attention as soon as possible.
Gum	One swallowed plate will not cause unpleasant symptoms. If the baby swallowed a lot, then abdominal pain, constipation or diarrhea may occur.	Once in the stomach, the chewing gum is digested in 6-10 hours or it comes out unchanged, without damaging anything. If several packages are swallowed, allergies, poisoning, constipation, diarrhea are possible.	One plate does not pose a threat, if a lot is swallowed, observe the child and if there are deviations in behavior, consult a doctor.
Coin	If it gets stuck in the esophagus, the baby becomes restless, cries, refuses to eat, or immediately spits up food. There may be hiccups, salivation, in very young children - shortness of breath and cough due to the pressure of the coin on the respiratory organs from the esophagus.	Most often, the coin leaves the gastrointestinal tract without having a detrimental effect. In very rare cases, intestinal obstruction or perforation of the esophagus may develop.	If the coin worsens the condition of the child, then it must be removed immediately, if everything is fine, just watch the baby.
Button	Most often, there are no symptoms, since the button rarely gets stuck in the esophagus.	The button will come out naturally, unchanged.	Do not give laxatives or induce vomiting. If the child behaves normally, wait until he comes out with feces. If the behavior of the baby changes, you should consult a doctor.
Needle	Profuse salivation, anxiety, cough, flushing of the face, choking, sweating, fever.	It can get a sharp end into the lungs or heart. If it reaches the stomach, then in the vast majority of cases (80%) it comes out naturally, without injuring anything in 2-72 hours. Very rarely pierces the stomach or intestines. It can settle in soft tissues and cause pain and inflammation.	Seek immediate medical attention. Move as little as possible to avoid moving the needle through soft tissue. You can not induce vomiting and give a laxative, shake the baby.
Mercury	Weakness, malaise, high fever, headache, salivation, abdominal pain, diarrhea are observed.	It is not the balls of mercury that are dangerous, but its evaporation. Inhalation of vapors with air damages the lungs, kidneys and nervous system.	Induce vomiting as soon as possible and seek medical attention.
sharp object (stapler staple, pin)	The baby can constantly hiccup, blood appears in the feces, he is sick, vomiting is possible.	May puncture the stomach wall, leading to peritonitis.	Call an ambulance. You can not feed and give to drink until the doctor arrives.
Glass	There is hiccups, vomiting, nausea, pain in the chest, blood in the stool.	A small piece may come out on its own without damaging anything, but it may cut the stomach and intestines. A large piece is able to remain in the stomach for many years deteriorating health.	With clean hands, remove visible fragments from the mouth and call an ambulance. Do not induce vomiting or give laxatives.
Tablet	The first signs of poisoning will appear when the tablets begin to be absorbed into the blood. The child becomes irritable, his behavior changes, convulsions, loss of consciousness, nausea, vomiting, fever are possible.	The harmful effect depends on which tablet the baby swallowed. Especially dangerous if there were a lot of them.	Make gastric lavage, induce vomiting, then give 2-3 tablets of activated charcoal or other sorbent. Call an ambulance. Do not feed until the arrival of doctors.
piece of foil	Signs of malaise, lethargy, irritability.	Often comes out without damaging the digestive organs. Sometimes a piece of foil can scratch the walls of the esophagus, causing bleeding.	Call an ambulance. You can not feed and water the baby, induce vomiting, give a laxative before the arrival of the medical staff.
Plasticine	The baby can become lethargic, capricious. In very rare cases, for example, a rash appears.	A small piece of plasticine is not harmful. A large piece can cause a bowel obstruction or get stuck in the esophagus.	Watch the child. Seek medical attention if your child's behavior changes.
cotton wool	Usually absent.	Does not pose a danger to the child. Comes out naturally.	Observe the behavior and condition of the baby.
Pebble	Most often, there is no change in behavior. In very rare cases - irritability, weakness, lethargy.	It comes out naturally within three days in most cases.	Observe the child's behavior. If the condition worsens, consult a doctor.
Small piece of plastic	There are no symptoms unless the object is lodged in the esophagus and has not damaged the intestines with sharp edges.	In the vast majority of cases, it comes out on its own without damaging the internal organs. If the object has sharp edges, then it can damage the intestines.	Observe the child's stool and behavior. If an object with sharp edges has been swallowed, consult a doctor. It is not always possible to see a plastic object with the help of an X-ray due to the structure of the material.
small metal object	Unpleasant symptoms are rare. Sometimes there is hiccups, salivation, irritability, abdominal pain.	If it does not have sharp edges, then it will come out safely. If acute, it can injure the esophagus, stomach and intestines.	Seek medical attention if the child's condition worsens.
small bead	In most cases, there are no unpleasant symptoms.	In the vast majority of cases, it comes out naturally, without harming the child's body.	Monitor the condition of the child.
Tooth	Most often absent.	Mostly it comes out naturally, without harming the body.	You can't induce vomiting. Seek medical attention if your child's behavior changes.
Apricot pit, cherry, plum	Very rarely there is abdominal pain and blood in the stool.	A large bone with sharp edges can get stuck in the intestines.	then you need to monitor the condition of the baby and his stool. If unpleasant symptoms appear, consult a doctor.

The most dangerous when swallowed are three types of objects:

Items that are large . Here there is a possibility of intestinal obstruction due to its blockage by a foreign object.
Objects with piercing and sharp edges. Such objects can pierce the walls of the intestines and stomach, which leads to the need for urgent surgery.
Small round pill-shaped batteries (from watches, toys) have an electrode inside, which can give a discharge in the stomach, esophagus or intestines, which injures the organ.

Where to go and what to do if a child has swallowed a foreign body? In medical practice, this situation occurs quite often.

The birth of a baby is the happiest moment in the life of his parents, as well as grandparents. While the child is still very small, does not even crawl, but simply lies in the crib all day, it is not entirely difficult to protect him and provide him with safe living conditions. But as soon as the baby begins to crawl, take the first steps, it becomes quite difficult to keep an eye on the little prankster. At such an early age, the baby does not yet give an account of his actions and actions and knows nothing about the prohibitions. And in this situation, the curiosity of the baby can play a cruel joke with him. At this age, children are very inquisitive and try to learn about the world around them by touching and examining the taste of found objects.

1 Objects and substances that the baby can swallow

All items that can be swallowed by a small researcher can be divided into 2 groups: hazardous to health and, accordingly, non-hazardous to health. The first includes:

needles, paper clips, pins, buttons - the so-called sharp objects;
long objects - it should be borne in mind that for babies under the age of one year, long objects include objects that are more than 3 cm in size, and for a child older than a year - more than 5 cm;
batteries;
magnet - if 2 magnets enter the body at once, this can lead to adhesion of the intestine (when the magnets stick together, the baby's intestine in the indicated area dies off, which will lead to inflammation of the abdominal cavity or sepsis);
and, finally, substances with poisonous and toxic properties.

If any object or substance listed above has entered the child's body, you should immediately seek help from a doctor. The presence of any of these objects or substances for a long time in the body can have very serious consequences. When visiting a doctor, an X-ray examination will most likely be prescribed, during which the doctor will be able to determine the position of the foreign body in the body.

Fruit stones, buttons, beads, etc. are considered harmless for a child. If he swallowed something belonging to the group of non-dangerous objects, then it is necessary to monitor the general condition of the baby. If the child feels well, continues to play and does not experience any discomfort, then there is no reason for concern in this case.

Also, you should immediately consult a doctor if the baby has the following symptoms or manifests at least one of the following, namely:

intense salivation:
sharp acute pain in the abdomen, flatulence;
nausea and urge to vomit;
cough in general and especially accompanied by shortness of breath;
labored breathing;
sudden and sharp rise in temperature;
spotting during bowel movements;
refusal to eat.

2 Help when a foreign body enters the body

The behavior of the baby and the manifestation of certain symptoms will depend on the shape, size and material of the object that has entered the child's body. In any case, if a foreign body has entered the gastrointestinal tract of the baby, then it is necessary to deliver the child to the hospital as soon as possible. Before the doctors arrive, you should not try to pull out or push the object further into the stomach by independent efforts. This way you can only do harm. In no case should you water or feed the baby.

In a medical institution, the baby will be examined by a surgeon and a pediatrician, and, if necessary, additional studies will be carried out using x-rays, endoscopy or ultrasound. According to the results of the behavioral studies, the doctor will be able to make a diagnosis and determine the position of the foreign body. As a rule, a laxative helps to remove a foreign object from the body.

If the movement of a foreign object that has entered the baby’s body seems difficult, then most likely the attending physician will prescribe an endoscopy procedure. If the use of endoscopy is inappropriate, then a laparoscopy procedure or a complete surgical intervention may be prescribed, which is more traumatic for the child and may lead to some complications.

It should be noted that every year a huge number of children die in the world as a result of a foreign body entering the body. Most often, such a diagnosis is made to patients of early childhood from 1 to 3 years. This situation is actually very dangerous. However, as a rule, such a situation has a good ending. If, after entering the body of a foreign body, the child is calm, then most likely this indicates that the object has already entered the stomach and will leave the body naturally.

To be sure of this, it is necessary to check the composition of children's feces 2 days after this event. As a rule, an object swallowed by a child should be released within 4 days. If this does not happen, then you need to seek help from a specialist and conduct an x-ray.

If a foreign body enters the baby's body, in no case should you give the child laxatives, cause a gag reflex, or give an enema. This can have an extremely negative impact on the condition of the child. It is recommended to make sure that the baby, after swallowing the object, is in a state of maximum physical rest.

In order to prevent such situations, it is not necessary to leave the child alone without supervision by adult family members. It is necessary to remove dangerous small objects from the field of view and reach of the baby. Parents and relatives must be extremely responsible in choosing toys. Toys should be appropriate for the age category of the baby and not contain any small parts.

Small children- very curious and restless creatures. Exploring the world is the first goal of all toddlers. What is possible, what is impossible, how to do it, and how not - they are only learning to understand all this. Parents should always be on the alert and steadily monitor the movement of babies crawling and pulling everything into their mouths.

Sometimes it happens that children are quicker and more dexterous. Hence various falls and accidents. The child may be burned, injured, hit, or swallowed by a foreign object. What should parents do in such cases? No wonder they say that knowledge is power. After reading this article, you will be able to be savvy in such a matter as swallowing objects, recognize the symptoms and understand what to do if a child swallowed a coin, a button or some other object.

Foreign body stuck in the esophagus

A child sometimes swallows any object - a coin, a part of a kinder, a tablet or a cap from a pen during a game or in the process of mastering the space of his room. Often this happens from the age of 3 years and continues until the baby becomes more aware. When an object enters the respiratory system or esophagus, a very serious situation occurs for the life of the baby. The esophagus is very sensitive at this age and if the child all of a sudden swallowed a foreign object, there is a sharp spasm. The baby's chest pain and cough should worry you.

In addition to pain behind the chest, it becomes painful for the baby to swallow not only food, but also saliva. You might think that vomiting when a foreign body enters the esophagus is capable of expelling the object. However, nausea, vomiting, or coughing are warning signs. So that the object does not injure the esophagus and does not lead to unforeseen consequences, call an ambulance as soon as possible.

The object is stuck in the respiratory system

Sometimes a child can not only swallow an object (a small coin, a part of a toy), but also inhale it through his nose. In this case, it is in the respiratory system. These paths in the baby are very small, so the object in them is a more dangerous situation than it is in the esophagus. It will either damage the organs, or block the pathways, and then cause respiratory arrest. The reason is that such an object does not come out due to the ligaments that prevent this.

When child Not swallows a foreign object, and inhales it, it can enter the wider right bronchus. At the same time, coughing fits, whistling and noises during breathing, blueness of the skin are noted. Popping sounds are heard if an object is stuck in the trachea. If it was a food product, then it can cause suppuration in the ways or inflammation of the lungs. Call an ambulance without delay!

Items to be removed

If a child swallows a foreign object, you need to take certain actions before the ambulance arrives. The degree of danger to life depends on the subject itself.

Sharp and prickly small objects - carnations, screws, small needles, pins, buttons, paper clips. To prevent the child from swallowing such foreign objects, put them away and higher.

Bones in berries and fruits. When cooking compotes, jams, and in general when serving them on the table, check fruits and berries for the absence of seeds.

Items longer than 3 cm.

Batteries of various sizes. For this reason, don't give your little one toys with batteries.

Small parts of toys.

Glasses and their fragments.

A child can swallow a smooth, rounded object - a pea, a button, and so on. If this happened before your eyes, but you do not observe negative signs, then first aid baby's stool will be monitored.

Symptoms

When a child swallows a foreign object, he has a certain symptomatology, which differs from the case of inhalation of the object.

Coin swallowing symptoms. The pain in the abdomen spreads, does not become quieter, but only increases. Vomiting and regurgitation may occur several times. The chair is difficult, or streaks of blood are observed in it. There are other incomprehensible symptoms or hiccups, profuse salivation. No matter what child swallowed - 10 kopecks or a bullet, keep an eye on him without stepping away from him, and call an ambulance if symptoms are present.

Symptoms if a child has swallowed a battery or inhaled/swallowed household chemicals. In this case, the situation becomes doubly dangerous. In addition to pain, the baby cannot swallow food, crying begins. The battery can cause burns to the mucous membrane due to the presence of hydrochloric acid in it. Coin-cell batteries are especially dangerous. A debilitating cough and vomiting with drops of blood may begin. Household chemicals can cause tissue perforation in a matter of seconds. Contact immediately first aid to the hospital.

Symptoms of a tablet ingestion. In some cases, the tablet can block the esophagus and then the swallowed food comes back. If the baby swallowed it deeply, then abdominal pain and vomiting begin.

Symptoms of swallowing a round object. Discomfort may not appear at all, but you should make sure that the item comes out within three days. To do this, carefully study the baby's chair.

Symptoms of swallowing a thorny object. The baby begins to cry and complain of pain. There may be blood in saliva or sputum, in which case we can say that the object has already damaged the wall of the organs.

Symptoms of inhalation of the object. Blue or red face, wheezing or wheezing, coughing.

How to help if an object is swallowed / inhaled

Important! Your help is provided to ensure free breathing. The rest of the measures are taken by the ambulance workers!

If your child suddenly swallowed 10 cents or something else, you need to take action immediately after calling an ambulance. Do not stop providing first aid until the ambulance arrives.

Do not panic! Act clearly and quickly, do not scold the child and do not shout.

The child is less than a year old and has difficulty breathing. Quickly lay the baby on your knee with your tummy down so that the upper body hangs down, and begin to clap the edge of your palm between the shoulder blades. If the child can breathe, these actions are not recommended so as not to push objects into the airways. In this case, wait for an ambulance.

Child over one year old. Turn him back to you and grab him with both hands above the waist. Rhythmically press on the stomach with both hands every 3 seconds. At the same time, make sharp pushes from the bottom up with your hands and at the same time calm the child.

Streamlined object swallowed. Observe your child's stool and feed him fiber-rich foods for three days. But this is only if there are no alarming symptoms or crying.

The item has not come out and there are no symptoms. In this case, make an appointment with the ENT.

What not to do:

Do not give enemas, so as not to further damage the digestive organs and make things worse.

Don't hesitate to call an ambulance.

If child swallowed a ball made of metal, it may be too small to be seen in stool. In this case, do not wait until he comes out, but sign up for an x-ray.

Do not push the object with products like bread.

Don't shake the baby.

Never leave child unattended so that he not only swallowed a battery or another object, but did not pour hot water over himself and did not accidentally injure himself.

Take the baby with you and do not lose sight of it even for a minute.

Do not resort to drugs with a laxative effect, so as not to harm the body even more.

Do not give anything to drink before removing the item.

Don't try to induce vomiting yourself.

Also, you should not breastfeed a baby if he swallowed or inhaled an object. Only a doctor will allow you to do this.

How to prevent the entry of a foreign body:

Remove all small objects as far as possible, especially if the baby has begun to crawl. Carefully inspect all rooms and corners for the presence of these items. Also hide away all the toys of the older child.

Particularly dangerous are toys-designers, consisting of magnetized balls. They can cause heavy bleeding and not come out without an ambulance. In such a question, life counts for minutes. It is better not to buy this toy until the child grows up.

Keep money and small items in lockable drawers.

When buying a toy, always read the age labels. Hold on to buying Kinders and Lego until the baby grows up.

Activities in the hospital

If the child swallowed a foreign object, in the hospital he is placed in the department of pediatric surgery. When an iron object hits, it is checked on an x-ray. In case of ingestion of food and other objects into the respiratory organs or the esophagus, endoscopy is performed. An endoscope is a long tube with forceps at the end and a camera. With the help of an endoscope, the object is grasped and removed. Sometimes this procedure does not require anesthesia.

To cleanse the bronchi from the object, anesthesia is always resorted to in order not to allow the glottis to close. After the object is removed, the child may be kept under observation for a few days and given antibiotics to prevent infection. If all actions are unsuccessful, an operation is performed.

Now you know, what to do if a child swallows a foreign object. Remember that self-elimination should only be done when breathing is difficult. If the item came out before the ambulance arrived, don't worry. In this case, it is always better to play it safe.

If the baby swallowed a smooth object, without sharp corners, then you should not worry too much - wait, and the object will leave the body naturally along with the stool. However, keep a close eye on your child's well-being. If he starts to feel sick, the temperature rises - immediately consult a doctor. Also, you should immediately seek medical help if the baby has swallowed a sharp object. If you see that the child has swallowed some really dangerous object - a needle or a toothpick or any other metal object - hurry to the doctor, despite the child's well-being.

If you have not noticed a swallowed object in the child's stool for two days, you should also seek the advice of a doctor.

Do not stay idle for a long time if your child has swallowed something. Some items can not only damage the walls of the esophagus and intestines, but also cause poisoning. Therefore, consult a doctor immediately.

How to teach a child to not put everything in his mouth that comes his way?

The main problem is that children it is impossible to wean a child from “tasting” everything to taste- after all, in this way the baby learns the world around him. This behavior will be characteristic of him until he reaches the age of five. That is, with no persuasion, explanations and requests, you can not force the child not to pull anything into his mouth.

Therefore, all parents can do during this time is to keep a close eye on their child.

First, try to dangerous objects and products remained out of sight of the baby. Such potentially dangerous items include: deflated balloons, any small items, popcorn, in general, everything that can damage the walls of the esophagus or what the baby can choke on. Parents need to be especially attentive if they go on a visit with a child. In the apartment of friends there can be a huge number of items that the child will definitely want to taste. Also, be vigilant when traveling with a child in nature.

When buying toys and clothes for a baby, you should carefully check that the product does not have buttons and other small parts that a child can swallow.

In addition, in case the baby nevertheless swallowed a small object and choked on it, it is useful for parents to know the rules for cardiopulmonary resuscitation.

How to behave if the child swallowed something and choked?

If the child chokes and starts to cough - don't bother him. It is possible that the baby himself coughs up the object. When you see it in the child's mouth, carefully remove the object. Do not try to get the object out of the baby's throat by sticking your fingers deep into the baby's mouth - you will only make the situation worse and not help the baby.

If the child cannot cope with suffocation on his own, begins to blush, suffocate and cannot speak - urgently call an ambulance. While the ambulance is on the way, give him first aid.

How can you help your child: