Foreign object - inhaled or swallowed

Injury	Disease	Nutrition	Poison

Symptoms	Surgery	Test	Special Topic

Heimlich maneuver on adult

Heimlich maneuver on infant

Heimlich maneuver on oneself

Lungs

Heimlich maneuver on an adult

Heimlich maneuver on conscious child

Heimlich maneuver on infant

Foreign object - inhaled or swallowed

Definition:

If you breath a foreign object into the respiratory tract, it may become stuckand cause respiratory problems, as well as inflammation and infection. See also choking.

If swallowed, a foreign object may become stuck along the gastrointestinal (digestive) tract, or pass through.

Alternative Names:

Obstructed airway; Blocked airway

Considerations:

These injuries can occur at any age, but are most common in children ages 1 to 3.

Causes:

Certain foods (nuts, seeds, popcorn) and small objects (buttons, beads) are easily inhaled by young children. Such objects may cause either partial or total airway blockage.
Coins, small toys, marbles, pins, screws, rocks, and anything else small enough for infants or toddlers to put in their mouths can be swallowed. If the object passes through the esophagus and into the stomach without getting stuck, it will probably pass through the entire digestive tract.

Review Date: 8/8/2005
Reviewed By: William D. Whetstone M.D., Associate Clinical Professor, Division of Emergency Medicine, University of California San Francisco, San Francisco, CA. Review provided by VeriMed Healthcare Network.

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