Foreign Body Ingestions: Approach to Management

Abstract

This article reviews the diagnosis, evaluation, pre-intervention preparation, and endoscopic management of pediatric foreign body ingestion, which is a commonly encountered problem that may present a challenge for healthcare providers and has a potential for significant morbidity and mortality. While the lack of randomized controlled trials in this area remains, recent literature has shed light on new imaging methods to localize foreign bodies and evaluate for complications, new types of foreign body ingestions, and updated management paradigms. Pediatric foreign body ingestions should be treated as emergencies. If clinically indicated, endoscopy has been shown to be safe, successful, and cost-effective with low rates of complication. Management depends on the size, location, and type of foreign body ingested. Development of clinical pathways for management of foreign body ingestion can be a useful tool for this patient population.