Ondokuz Mayıs Üniversitesi Tıp Fakültesi Adli Tıp AD, Samsun

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 follows; 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 admission, 68,3% of them were hospitalized and stayed in hospital 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 complication was observed in other cases. These results suggest that foreign body aspiration is a serious condition predominantly during childhood similar to other studies. Family training should be emphasized in order to take preventive precautions and to lessen risk factors.