Introduction: This study endeavors to fill the knowledge gap concerning deliberate foreign body ingestion (DFBI) in relation to psychiatric disorders. It concentrates on DFBI among adults diagnosed with post-traumatic stress disorder (PTSD) regarding types of foreign body (FB) ingested, motivation for DFBI, and outcomes of endoscopic FB retrieval. Methods: A review adhering to Preferred Reporting Items for Systematic Reviews and Meta-Analyses (PRISMA) guidelines (PROSPERO ID: 261785) was performed, searching electronic bibliographic databases from January 1, 2015 to June 1, 2021. Case reports written in English detailing endoscopic findings of DFBI among adults (≥18 years) were included. Articles without the number and type of items deliberately ingested were excluded. Eligible studies were assessed using the Joanna Briggs Institute critical appraisal tool. Results: Of the 55 included case reports, the 5 PTSD patients (9%) were older (μ age: 41.60 vs 34.16 years, p=0.15), less predominantly male (M:F Ratio: 1.5:1 vs 1.75:1, p=0.56), reported less abdominal pain presentations (40% vs 46%, p=0.40), and had a higher average of concomitant psychiatric conditions (μ=3 vs 1, p< 0.01), than the 55 non-PTSD patients. PTSD patients ingested more items (μ=34.8 vs 7.74, p< 0.05); specifically more large paper (μ=0.2 vs 0, p< 0.01), large wood (μ=2.8 vs 0.04, p< 0.01), small metal (μ=14 vs 0.34, p< 0.01), sharps/blades (μ=12.4 vs 1.32, p< 0.05), batteries (μ=5.4 vs 0.48, p< 0.01), than those without PTSD. The primary reasons for ingestion for both PTSD and non-PTSD patients included prior history of repeated DFBI [n=3 (60%) vs n=18 (36%), p=0.15, respectively] and suicidality (n=1 (20%) vs n=9 (18%), p=0.45, respectively]. PTSD patients had a higher average success rate of endoscopic removal (without need for post-endoscopic surgery) than non-PTSD patients (μ=1 vs 0.66, p=0.12), as well as reported use of interdisciplinary management (μ=1 vs 0.82, p=0.31). Though there was little difference in mean number of total interdisciplinary referrals made (μ=1.8 vs 1.3, p=0.28), the most common referrals were to psychiatry (47%) and gastroenterology (33%). Conclusion: In DFBI cases of patients with PTSD, a high index of suspicion is required with regards to presentation, type of FB ingested, and reason for ingestion. Further research is needed to determine if PTSD or interdisciplinary management are factors for successful endoscopic FB removal and surgery should endoscopy fail.
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