Object in the nose
Most objects that children put in their noses are found by parents soon after they are put there. Commonly inserted objects include beads, dried beans, popcorn, nuts, buttons, marbles, paper, pebbles, plastic toy pieces, and foam rubber.
Objects in the nose may cause:
- Difficulty breathing.
- An infection.
- Nasal drainage, which may be foul-smelling, usually from just one nostril.
- A nosebleed.
- Damage to the nasal tissue caused by pressure against the object (pressure necrosis).
- The release of dangerous chemicals, such as from a disc battery.
Removing an object from the nose
- Breathe through your mouth since the nose is blocked.
- Pinch closed the side of the nose without an object in it and try to blow the object out of the blocked side. You may need to help a child pinch his or her nose.
- Blow your nose forcefully several times. This may blow the object out of the nose.
- If the object is partially out of the nose, you may be able to remove it. Hold still and remove the object with your fingers or blunt-nosed tweezers. Be careful not to push the object farther into the nose. If a child resists or is not able to hold still, do not attempt to remove the object.
- Some minor bleeding from your nose may occur after the object is removed. This usually is not serious and should stop after firmly pinching your nose shut for 10 minutes. For more information, see how to stop a nosebleed.
You may be able to remove an object from a child's nose using the "kiss technique." Do not try this if you are uncomfortable with it, your child says it hurts, or if your child becomes upset by your attempts.
- Apply pressure to close the child's unaffected nostril. You can do this or the child can help by holding his or her finger on the unaffected side of the nose.
- Blow a puff of air into the child's mouth. The positive pressure of this puff will help push the object out of the child's nose. You may need to repeat this activity several times.
| Author: | Jan Nissl, RN, BS | Last Updated: June 22, 2007 |
| Medical Review: | William M. Green, MD - Emergency Medicine Charles M. Myer, III, MD - Otolaryngology Andrew Swan, MD, CCFP, FCFP - Family Medicine | |
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