Abstract
Accidental swallowing of foreign bodies is a common problem among the pediatric population (6 months to 3 years), especially if the foreign body (FB) presents a sharp end that could potentially lead to perforation of the gastrointestinal (GI) tract, resulting in infection and complications. We report the case of a 2-year-old, admitted to the Emergency Department of our hospital after ingesting two FBs classifiable as sharp objects, specifically two metal nails, both approximately 4-cm long, which had been swallowed in one go, as reported by the parents. The patient had been previously admitted to another hospital in the same region, where the Emergency Department (ED) doctors took an X-ray to confirm the ingestion. The foreign bodies ingestion was thus confirmed, and they were, according to their report, located in the GI tract over the stomach. The patient has been monitored through all of his stay in the hospital and the progression of the foreign bodies has been documented with serial X-rays. Since neither clinical nor radiological signs of perforation were present, putting the FBs in the small bowel, a non-operative expectant management was followed. After 4 days of admission, the patient had passed one of the two FBS and later on the second one, without any complication. Thereafter the patient was discharged. The management of sharp gastrointestinal foreign objects ingestion is still debated, and the data of the current literature are poor. A number of case reports and small case series describe successful conservative management for the majority of ingested sharp objects. According to the literature data, our report confirms that the ingestion of sharp objects and relatively big objects in a baby can be successfully non-operatively managed, even despite the age of the patient and though the FBs are multiple.
Highlights
Foreign body ingestion is a common occurrence among the pediatric population, especially those between 6 months and 3 years of age
As reported by the American Association of Poison Control Centers in 2000, 75% of the >116,000 foreign body (FB) ingestions reported occurred in children aged ≤5 years [1]
We report the case of a 2-year-old, admitted to the Emergency Department of our hospital after 2
Summary
Foreign body ingestion is a common occurrence among the pediatric population, especially those between 6 months and 3 years of age. In the following afternoon (3rd day hospitalization), upon assessing that there were no signs of pain or complications, upon presenting a single episode of vomiting in the late afternoon, an X-ray was taken (Figure 1), showing the presence of the two FBs in the rectum, with no signs of air fluid levels nor free air in the abdomen. The day after (5th day), the patient was clinically evaluated: since he showed no signs of complications or discomfort, the abdomen examination was normal, and the child had resumed feeding. He was deemed suitable for hospital discharge, and was sent home, with the indication of coming back for an outpatient visit in the Pediatric Surgery Ward
Sign-in/Register to view highlights & summary Sign-in/Register to access full text options 
Talk to us
Join us for a 30 min session where you can share your feedback and ask us any queries you have
Schedule a callDisclaimer: All third-party content on this website/platform is and will remain the property of their respective owners and is provided on "as is" basis without any warranties, express or implied. Use of third-party content does not indicate any affiliation, sponsorship with or endorsement by them. Any references to third-party content is to identify the corresponding services and shall be considered fair use under The CopyrightLaw.
