Foreign Body Injury
A. Insect in the Ear
WHAT TO DO
1. Hold a lighted flashlight near the ear in a darkened room. The light may encourage the insect to leave the ear canal.
2. Tilt the victim's head slightly so that the affected ear is uppermost. Then pour glycerin, olive oil, or cooking oil into the ear canal, allowing it to remain a few minutes. This should suffocate the insect.
3. Then irrigate the ear gently with warm water, using an ear syringe, holding a basin under the ear.
4. If this does not remove the insect,
consult a physician ..
B. Dry, Hard Object in the Ear
WHAT TO DO
1. Tilt the head so that the affected ear points downward. Pull the external lobe of the ear in various directions. This may cause the foreign body to fall out.
2. Dip a small artist's brush or the clean, blunt end of a matchstick into white glue or other quick-drying adhesive. Then, while pulling upward and backward on the ear lobe so as to straighten the ear canal, carefully introduce the sticky end until it makes contact with the foreign body. Wait a few minutes for the glue to dry, then gently remove, pulling the foreign body out.
3. If this does not succeed, consult a physician. Never introduce a sharp object into the ear canal; it may damage the eardrum.
C. Foreign Body in the Eye. If there is any possibility that a splinter of steel or any other foreign object has penetrate the eyeball, consult a physician at once. For this type of injury, see chapter 24,"Diseases of the Eye," under Injury to the Eye.
If a cinder or dust particle has found its way between the eye and the eyelids, proceed as follows:
WHAT TO DO.
1. Have the victim close both eyes for a few moments. The irritation will cause tears to flow from both eyes. In fortunate cases, the tears will wash out the particle. The eye should not be rubbed.
2. If the foreign particle is still present, grasp the lashes of the upper eyelid and draw the upper lid out and down over the lower lashes. Then release the upper lid and allow the lower lid to serve as a brush to wipe out the foreign particle.
3. If the foreign body still remains, fill a medicine dropper with plain water or sterile salt solution and gently rinse the space between eyeball and eyelids by grasping the eyelashes, one lid at a time, and holding the lids up and away from the eye slightly as the fluid flows underneath.
4. The last resort before consulting a doctor is for the first-aider to wash his hands thoroughly in soap and water and turn the patient's eyelids wrong side out, one at a time, searching carefully for the foreign particle. This is accomplished easily in the lower lid by simply grasping the eyelashes. For the upper lid, it is best to use a slender pencil or matchstick held horizontally to help turn the upper lid wrong side out. Once the foreign object is discovered, it may be removed by gently touching it with the corner of a clean handkerchief and brushing it aside.
5. If the foreign body is lodged in the cornea (transparent tissue at the front of the eye), consult a physician at once.
D. Foreign Body in the Nose. Children sometimes force a bean, a kernel of corn, or a similar object into one of the nostrils.
WHAT TO DO
The foreign body can usually be seen by having the child tip his head backward. It is usually possible to slip a loop of wire either above or below the object and gently withdraw it. If this is not successful, consult a physician.
E. Foreign Body in the Skin. A foreign body in the skin is usually of wood (a splinter), metal, or glass. If the object is small and close to the surface, it can usually be removed at home. If it penetrates the deeper tissues or is underneath a fingernail or toenail, a physician should be consulted. Protection against tetanus may be necessary.
WHAT TO DO
1. First of all, the first-aider should wash his hands and the patient's skin in the area of the splinter with soap and water.
2. A needle and a small forceps should be sterilized in a small flame.
3. Use the needle to enlarge the opening in the skin. When the end of the splinter is exposed, grasp it with the forceps and remove it.
4. Wash the area again and cover with a sterile dressing or adhesive-gauze bandage.
F. Foreign Body in the Stomach. Small children swallow coins, marbles, keys, bobby pins, and even safety pins. An object without sharp points will usually pass on through the gastrointestinal tract within a few hours or days. It is open safety pins, and sometimes bobby pins, which may become lodged in the intestine and perforate the wall of the intestine, with serious consequences. In such cases a physician must be consulted. He will use, the X ray to locate the object and may find surgery necessary for its removal.
G. Foreign Body in the Throat. When a child puts a small object in his mouth and it slips beyond his control, one of three things happens: It either lodges in the pharynx (throat), passes into his air passages leading to the lungs, or, is swallowed. Here we are concerned with only the first of these possibilities. The second is dealt with in this chapter under Choking, and the third in the above item, Foreign Body in the Stomach
WHAT TO DO
If the child is able to get his breath by allowing the air to pass around the foreign body, keep him as quiet as possible in a reclining position while he is taken to the doctor. If the foreign body interferes with the child's breathing you may try holding him upside down while slapping him between the shoulder blades-this in the hope of causing him to use what air there is in his lungs for a cough which may dislodge the foreign body. If this fails, and especially if the child's face is becoming dark, rush the patient at once to the nearest doctor's office or hospital for emergency treatment.
