Researchers indicate that a poor understanding of the risks posed by “certain foods” as well as “parents’ enthusiasm for independent eating” among young people could be one of the main causes of this increase.
We studied data on cases of suffocation in people aged 0 to 17 who required a visit to the Soleil Mother-Child Center of the CHU de Québec – Université Laval between 2006 and 2020.
The analysis confirmed that “the number of children requiring a hospital stay following an episode of choking increased by 87% between the first five and last five years of the period covered by the study », Specifies doctor Patrick Daigneault, who practices in the pediatrics department as a pulmonologist and who participated in the study.
“The Center receives all children from Eastern Quebec who have had an episode of choking and who present symptoms such as difficulty breathing or a persistent cough. We carry out an examination of the airways under anesthesia to determine if the foreign body is still present and, if so, we remove it,” he mentioned.
No less than 191 children had to receive this intervention during the period covered by the study. “In 101 of these cases, a foreign body was still present in their respiratory tract,” added Dr. Daigneault, who emphasizes that cases of choking “clearly seem to be on the rise among children.”
The average age of patients who had to receive the procedure is approximately 2 1/2 years.
In the majority of cases (73%), a piece of food was the cause of choking. “These were mainly carrots (20%), nuts and seeds (19%), peanuts (10%), popcorn (8%), and firm fruits or vegetables other than carrots (6%). The other cases were mainly attributable to toys (8%) or various objects (17%),” the study mentions.
It is reported that most cases are linked to a food to which parents should pay particular attention when consuming. “This leads us to believe that there is a lack of knowledge among parents about choking prevention recommendations or a lack of adherence to these guidelines,” emphasizes Dr. Daigneault.
It is believed that the rise in popularity of child-led dietary diversification which allows them to participate “actively in their diet” would explain the results of the study.
The pediatric pulmonologist believes that we should carry out more interventions with parents in order to better inform them about the risks of choking and their causes. It is emphasized that ideally, “all adults should know the basic maneuvers to clear a child’s airway.”
Justine Veilleux, who was a resident in pediatrics at Laval University under the supervision of Professor Daigneault at the time of the study, is the first author of the article. The other signatories are Sandrine Bellavance and Mahukpe Narcisse Ulrich Singbo from the CHU de Québec-Université Laval. View the study published in the Canadian Journal of Respiratory, Critical Care, and Sleep Medicine here.
