Some 10 children between the ages of 6 months and 2 years of age are taken
each year to the Eye, Ear and Throat specialist at the Sur Docente
Children´s Hospitals in the eastern city of Santiago de Cuba due to
foreign objects found in those parts of the body.

Similar or higher figures can also be found in other hospitals throughout
the country, many times ending the life of a child. Is it preventable?
According to many specialists the majority of the incidents are
preventable, because they are the result of negligence or the lack of
attention to the minors at home, above all at an early age.

Similar or superior figures are found in other hospitals in the country,
cases which often ends with the death of a child. Is it preventable?

According to specialists, the majority of the cases are preventable due to
the lack of care or attention of a minor at home, above all in a very
early age.

Dr. Francisco Macias, Head of the service at the institution in Santiago
de Cuba stressed that the main responsibility goes to the parents or
tutors of the child. It is normal for children to explore and takes any
objects to their mouths or nose.

He pointed out that objects of vegetable origin like beans, peas, peanut,
fruit seeds or pieces of toys that can fit into the esophagus or
respiratory system provoked serous effects that endanger the life of the
patient.

The doctor recommended to immediately transfer the child to a health
facility where there is personnel capacitated to give first aid and
immediately take the patient to a hospital where you may find modern
equipment to remove the object from the child.

The equipment used consists in introducing a tube through the mouth to
observe the respiratory system, which is very dangerous for the life of a
child because the procedure is done under general anesthesia.

The clinical manifestations of aspirating the foreign object depends on
its nature, localization and the level of obstruction, but, said Dr.
Macias the most frequent are coughing and difficulty in breathing. If
not detected in time the patient can end in asphyxiation.

Dr. Anisley Quintana, from Santiago de Cuba, called on all parents and
families to be on the lookout, because according to her experiences the
worst cases are small children that play with small objects belonging to
toys, remain alone in the kitchen and take on food without the supervision
of an adult.

Some of the worst symptoms are fatigue, intense cough, cyanosis and
obstruction of respiratory cavities causing from laryngeal edema to
cardiac arrest.

Accidents are not so unpredictable or avoidable; it is a question of
responsibilities and necessary attentions for the healthy growth and
development of children.