Two or three children are admitted to The Hospital for Sick Children every week because they have swallowed or choked on an object. Coins, glass, safety pins, latex balloons and even acid batteries are some of the foreign objects that children swallow. Foods that are round or tube-shaped, such as lumps of meat, hot dogs and grapes can also get stuck in the throat and cause choking. Latex balloons are particularly dangerous. The material used for balloons can easily stick to the throat and block breathing.
Children can suffocate and die after inhaling a latex balloon.
When the foreign object gets stuck the child usually starts to gag and retch. His or her breathing may become noisy and the lips may turn blue. Some children begin to drool because saliva and fluids cannot pass down the throat. As long as the child can cough, and speak or breathe, the airway is not completely blocked and air can get through. But if the child is drooling or having difficulty swallowing, the esophagus may be blocked.