Choke hazards a risk for curious children

A wedding ring, toothpick, glitter star, fly mesh and a coat hanger tip are among the items that were urgently removed from young children’s airways at Townsville Hospital last year.

In 2018, The Townsville Hospital emergency department saw 39 children under four who required immediate care to remove an obstruction from their airway.

Of those, seven required admission to hospital with two children requiring surgery to remove coins and one needed to be flown to The Townsville Hospital for urgent care.

Paediatrician Dr Jason Yates said young children were naturally inquisitive and were likely to put just about anything in their mouths.

“It is normal behaviour for a small child to put just about anything in their mouths and to eat it,” he said.

“An obstructed airway can be incredibly serious and a consequence can be a severe brain injury or death.

“If a parent thinks their child has swallowed something that has obstructed an airway they should seek medical assistance immediately and provide necessary first aid such as delivering a sharp blow between the shoulder blades to try and dislodge the object.”

Dr Yates said one of the big things for parents was to pay close attention to guidelines on toy boxes that provide advice on the age suitability of the product.

“A big thing about these ratings is they are based on size of the pieces relative to the age of the child,” Dr Yates said.

“So typically for younger children the components will be larger and there will be less of them to reduce the risk of obstructed choking hazard.

“It is important parents are aware of potential choke hazards around the home and make sure that if there is anything that it is stored out of reach.”

Dr Yates said the dangers of ingesting button batteries were well documented but small magnets were also a concern.

“Small magnets that are often on household fridges or part of magnet toys can also be a bit of a danger. If multiple magnets are ingested they can stick inside the bowel and may lead to a perforation,” he said.

“Portions of food that are too large or have seeds are also a risk that parents need to be aware of.”

Other reasons for presentation included: a sewing pin, key, pin, beads, hard candy and styrofoam.

Contact: Public Affairs 4433 1016 | 0409 265 298