Objective To compare flavoring agents added to activated charcoal (AC) to determine which mixture is most palatable to children. Design Healthy volunteers between the ages of 3 and 17 years participated in a prospective masked trial. Five identical pitchers were prepared containing AC alone, AC with chocolate milk, AC with Coca-Cola (Coca-Cola Corp, Atlanta, Ga), AC with cherry-flavored syrup, and AC with sorbitol. Subjects tasted all 5 substances in random order. Children younger than 8 years rated taste on a 10-point Faces Scale. Children 8 years and older used a 100-point visual analog scale to rate taste and, separately, ease of swallowing. All children were asked which mixture was best. Ratings were compared using 1-way analysis of variance, and comparisons for all pairs were made using the Tukey test.P<.05 was considered significant. Results Mean age among the 53 children enrolled was 8.3 years; 23 children were younger than 8 years. Girls made up 52% of the group. Taste scores for chocolate milk, Coca-Cola, and cherry-flavored syrup were significantly better than those for no flavoring agent. The scores for ease of swallowing for Coca-Cola, chocolate milk, and cherry-flavored syrup were significantly better than those for either no flavoring agent or sorbitol. When asked to choose a single best flavoring agent, 39% chose chocolate milk, 23% picked Coca-Cola, and 23% chose cherry-flavored syrup. Conclusion The addition of chocolate milk, Coca-Cola, or cherry-flavored syrup to AC improves palatability for children and is favored over no flavoring agent or sorbitol.

OBJECTIVE:This study sought to investigate the safety and efficacy of the fluoroscopic Foley catheter technique (FFCT) for removal of esophageal foreign bodies (EEBs) in children, and to identify factors associated with decreased success.DESIGN/SETTING/PATIENTS:An 11-year retrospective review of all pediatric patients undergoing the FFCT for removal of EFBs at a tertiary-care children's hospital was performed.RESULTS:Four-hundred and fifteen cases are reported. The median age was 29 months (range, 4 to 193); children < or = 24 months accounted for 45% (185) of the cases. Of all episodes 86% (355) involved children without known esophageal pathology. Coins comprised 76% (316) of the EFBs. The FFCT was successful in 91% (378) of the cases. In the 60 episodes involving children with underlying esophageal pathology, the technique had an 83% success rate compared to 92% in children without known pathology (P < .05). There were 290 patients where the duration of impaction was known. The success rate was 96% if the duration was 3 days or less compared to 50% if the duration was longer (P < .0001). Though the overall success in children < or = 24 months was less than older children (88% vs 94%, P < .05), this effect disappeared when corrected for duration of impaction. Minor complications occurred in 2% of the episodes, and major complications were noted in 1%.CONCLUSIONS:The FFCT appears to be a safe and effective method for removal of EFBs especially in children without underlying esophageal lesions and a duration of impaction < or = 3 days. Major complications are rare.