Study objective: To assess the current anesthetic management for aspiration of a foreign body into the airway and esophagus of a young child.
Design: Questionnaire study.
Measurements and main results: A questionnaire regarding choice of induction technique in a variety of foreign body clinical scenarios was sent to 1,342 anesthesiologists, all members of the Society for Pediatric Anesthesia. The foreign body, either a coin (penny) or a safety pin (open), was positioned on radiography in a variety of anatomic locations. Depending on the foreign body location, the patient was either asymptomatic or exhibited symptoms. Participants indicated their choice of induction for each situation. Of the 1,342 questionnaires mailed, there were 838 respondents (62.4%). Coins and pins in the gastroesophageal tract were managed mostly by a rapid-sequence induction (p < 0.001). Coins and pins at all levels in the tracheobronchial tree were managed most often by a mask induction with no cricoid pressure (p < 0.001). Although 14.5% of respondents chose awake and sedated technique for a foreign body in the supraglottic area, few chose this technique for a foreign body in other locations. The type of object did not affect the choice of drugs for induction of anesthesia in most anatomic locations. Respondents with limited pediatric anesthesia experience used inhalation induction much less often than did those with more experience. Multiple-logistic regression analysis showed that both number of years in practice and type of practice (university, private, hybrid) were predictors for the induction.
Conclusions: These data indicate that inhalation induction is favored most often for removal of foreign bodies in the airway, while intravenous induction is preferred for removal of foreign bodies in the gastroesophageal tract. In addition, practice type, greater percentage of time spent in pediatric anesthesia, and greater experience are related to a higher likelihood of inhalation induction.