Barotrauma: a complication of positive pressure for nasal foreign body removal in a pediatric patient.

Abstract

Emergency physicians are frequently called on to remove impacted nasal foreign bodies in children. Multiple positive pressure techniques for the removal of nasal foreign bodies have been described. This case report details a previously unreported complication of barotrauma after the use of a published positive pressure technique that uses unmodulated piped hospital oxygen (wall oxygen) in the emergency department setting. We caution against the use of sustained, unmodulated positive pressure to dislodge a retained nasal foreign body.