Rigid bronchoscopy for pin extraction in children at the Children's Hospital in Rabat, Morocco

Purpose. - The aim of this work is to present the clinical and therapeutic aspects of pin inhalation in the airways, as well as the benefit of rigid bronchoscopy for extraction in children. Materials and methods. - Five hundred and twenty-four cases of inhaled foreign body are identified in the multipurpose pediatric intensive care unit in the children's hospital in Rabat between January 2005 and December 2010. Thirty-six (6.8%) of them are due to pin inhalation. A retrospective study was conducted to define the epidemiological characteristics, clinical treatment and outcome of pin inhalation in the airways. Results. - Thirty-six cases of pin inhalation are identified, all females. The age varies from 10 to 15 years. The consultation period is 2 days. Symptoms are dominated by coughing and stinging sensation. In 61.11% (22 cases), the pin is lodged in the right airways, in 22.22% (eight cases) in the left airways and in 5.5% (two cases) at the trachea. In 63.8% (23 cases), the pin is removed at the first attempt. We did not record any severe complications. No deaths recorded. Conclusion. - Pin inhalation is a common occurrence in young girls. The extraction can be done safely by rigid bronchoscopy under general anesthesia. Particular attention should be paid to prevention and educational programs to reduce the incidence of pin inhalation. (C) 2010 Elsevier Masson SAS. All rights reserved.