21 Dec Children Can Choke to Death on Grapes

Posted at 13:02h in Accidents & Violence, Author Interviews, BMJ, Emergency Care, Pediatrics by

MedicalResearch.com Interview with:
Dr Jamie G Cooper
Consultant in Emergency Medicine
Aberdeen Royal Infirmary
Aberdeen UK

MedicalResearch.com: What is the background for this study?

MedicalResearch.com Interview with: Jamie Cooper Consultant in Emergency Medicine Aberdeen Royal Infirmary Aberdeen MedicalResearch.com: What is the background for this study? Response: Choking in children can be fatal and regularly grapes can be the cause. We believe that public awareness of the choking hazard posed by grapes (and other similarly shaped foods, such as cherry tomatoes) is not wide spread. By publishing this article we aimed to highlight the problem to health professionals who look after children and also to the public at large in an attempt to reduce the number of future episodes. MedicalResearch.com: What are the main findings? Response: With parental consent we published the cases of three small children who suffered choking episodes as a result of whole grapes, two of whom died as a result. In each case it was not possible to dislodge the grape using first aid techniques. MedicalResearch.com: What should readers take away from your report? Response: Small children are at risk from choking because they have smaller airways, reduced ability to chew foods, underdeveloped swallowing coordination and can be easily distracted when eating. Grapes are a healthy and popular snack but are ideally suited to cause airway obstruction, particularly if inhaled whole. Small children (up to 5 years) should always be supervised by adults while eating; and grapes should be halved, or ideally quartered, before consumption. We hope that by drawing attention to this issue that consideration will be given at a political level to wider dissemination of this information so as to prevent further occurrences. MedicalResearch.com: Thank you for your contribution to the MedicalResearch.com community. Citation: BMJ The choking hazard of grapes: a plea for awareness Note: Content is Not intended as medical advice. Please consult your health care provider regarding your specific medical condition and questions. More Medical Research Interviews on MedicalResearch.com

Grapes
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Response: Choking in children can be fatal and regularly grapes can be the cause.  We believe that public awareness of the choking hazard posed by grapes (and other similarly shaped foods, such as cherry tomatoes) is not wide spread.  By publishing this article we aimed to highlight the problem to health professionals who look after children and also to the public at large in an attempt to reduce the number of future episodes.

MedicalResearch.com: What are the main findings?

Response: With parental consent we published the cases of three small children who suffered choking episodes as a result of whole grapes, two of whom died as a result. In each case it was not possible to dislodge the grape using first aid techniques.

MedicalResearch.com: What should readers take away from your report?

Response: Small children are at risk from choking because they have smaller airways, reduced ability to chew foods, underdeveloped swallowing coordination and can be easily distracted when eating.  Grapes are a healthy and popular snack but are ideally suited to cause airway obstruction, particularly if inhaled whole.

Small children (up to 5 years) should always be supervised by adults while eating; and grapes should be halved, or ideally quartered, before consumption.

We hope that by drawing attention to this issue that consideration will be given at a political level to wider dissemination of this information so as to prevent further occurrences.

MedicalResearch.com: Thank you for your contribution to the MedicalResearch.com community.

Citation: BMJ

The choking hazard of grapes: a plea for awareness
Amy J Lumsden, Jamie G Cooper

Arch Dis Child archdischild-2016-311750Published Online First: 20 December 2016doi:10.1136/archdischild-2016-311750

Note: Content is Not intended as medical advice. Please consult your health care provider regarding your specific medical condition and questions.

More Medical Research Interviews on MedicalResearch.com

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Last Updated on December 21, 2016 by Marie Benz MD FAAD

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