Unusual presentations and problems created by mismanagement of foreign bodies in the aerodigestive tract of the pediatric patient.

Nine children who suffered unusual problems because of the mismanagement of ingested or inhaled foreign bodies are reported. The causes of mismanagement are discussed and the details of the histories, examinations and follow-up are given. The serious complications were pulmonary hemorrhage, tracheoesophageal fistulae, mediastinitis resembling a mediastinal tumor, periesophageal infection from perforation, loss of a Fogarty catheter tip in a segmental bronchus, laryngeal stenosis from a cricothyrotomy in an infant, and the displacing of a foreign body into an almost inaccessible distal bronchus. All of these unusual problems, and the resultant morbidity and financial cost, could have been avoided with proper management and early diagnosis.