Foreign Body in Nose

Subject: Medical and Surgical Nursing II (Theory)

Overview

Children are naturally curious and frequently want to know how things function. They frequently exhibit this curiosity by asking inquiries or by investigating their surroundings. One of the risks associated with this curiosity is that your child can accidentally put anything alien in their mouth, nose, or ears. While frequently harmless, this can pose a choking risk and put them at risk for severe wounds or infections. When an object is in the nose when it is not naturally supposed to be there, it is referred to as having a foreign body in the nose. Only by seeking medical attention to identify the source of discomfort, bleeding, infection, or breathing difficulties may the object be found.

Foreign Body in Nose

Young children who are naturally curious may try to explore their own bodies by inserting small objects into their noses.

Objects that could end up in the nose include

  • Food
  • Seeds
  • Roasted beans
  • Tiny toy
  • Crayon fragments
  • Erasers
  • Paper bundles
  • Beads and cotton

A child may have a foreign body in their nose for some time before their parents become aware of the issue. Only by seeking medical attention to identify the source of discomfort, bleeding, infection, or breathing difficulties may the object be found.

Signs and Symptoms

  • Pain and breathing issues
  • The nose bleeds
  • Vomiting
  • Complaints of wheezing and choking
  • Sinusitis
  • A nasal something-feeling

First Aid

  • It is normally okay to wait until the morning or the next day to remove an object that is only trapped in the nose and not producing any other symptoms.
  • Don't use a cotton swab or any other tool to probe the object.
  • Avoid attempting to violently breathe in the object. Instead, breathe through your mouth until you can remove the thing.
  • If only one nostril is affected, gently squeeze the other nostril shut before blowing out softly through the affected nose.
  • An other approach to move the thing forward and out of the nose is to sneeze, which will actually provide considerably more force. Once more, closing the unaffected nostril makes it more effective.
  • If the item is visible and simple to grab with tweezers, remove it gently. Avoid attempting to delete anything that is not visible or reachable.
  • By placing their mouth over the child's mouth and covering the unaffected nostril with their fingers, a parent or other caregiver can try to remove the object. The object frequently comes out the child's nostril onto the caregiver's check when the caregiver blows quickly into the child's mouth.
  • If these methods don't work, call an ambulance or go to the nearest emergency room.

Prevention

Preventative steps could include

  • Food should be portioned out for young children.
  • Encourage refraining from speaking, laughing, or playing while eating.
  • Give children under the age of three no foods such whole grapes, almonds, popcorn, hot dogs, or hard candies.
  • Keep little items out of young children's grasp.
  • Children should be taught not to put things inside their noses or other body holes.

 

REFERENCE

HealthLine. 2005. 2017 http://www.healthline.com/health/foreign-body-in-the-nose

Medline Plus. 05 January 2017 https://medlineplus.gov/ency/article/000037.htm

Medscape. 1994. 2017 http://emedicine.medscape.com/article/763767-overview

Mandal, G.N. Textbook of Adult Nursing. Kathmandu: Makalu Publication House, 2013.

Web MD. 2005. 2017 http://www.webmd.com/first-aid/foreign-body-nose-treatment

Williams and Wilkins, The Lippincott manual of Nursing practice, 7th edition, International student edition, 2001.
Things to remember
  • Small things could be inserted into a child's nose accidentally as they naturally try to learn more about their anatomy.
  • It may result in discomfort, bleeding choking, pain, breathing difficulties, vomiting, and other symptoms.
  • DON'T attempt to remove anything that is difficult for you to hold or that you can't see. This can harm the thing or force it further in.
  • DO NOT use cotton swabs or other instruments to examine the nose. This can force the item farther into the nose.
Questions and Answers
  1. Pain and difficulty breathing
  2. Nasal bleeding
  3. Vomiting
  4. Complaints of choking, wheezing
  5. Sinusitis
  6. Feeling of something in nose
  1. An object that is simply stuck in the nose and not causing other symptoms can usually wait until morning or the following day for removal.
  2. DO NOT search the nose with cotton swabs or other tools. This may push the object further into the nose.
  3. DO NOT use tweezers or other tools to remove an object that is stuck deep inside the nose.
  4. DO NOT try to remove an object that you cannot see or one that is not easy to grasp. This can push the object farther in or cause damage.
  5. Do not try to inhale the object by forcefully breathing in. Instead, breathe through your mouth until an object is removed.
  6. Have the person breathe through the mouth. The person should notbreathe in sharply. Thismay force the object in further.
  7. Gently press and close the nostril that does NOT have the object init. Ask theperson to blow gently. This may help push the object out. Avoid blowing the nose too hard or repeatedly.
  8. A sneeze will actually produce much more force is an alternative way to push the object forward and out of the nose. Again, it is more effective if the uninvolved nostril is closed.
  9. If this method fails, get medical help.

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