A significant danger to children: Foreign body ingestion

Abstract

Aim: The most important way for children to communicate with their surroundings is to take every substance that they keep in hand to their mouths. Foreign bodies that are ingested can be found anywhere in the gastrointestinal tract. Especially foreign bodies in esophagus may be the cause of morbidity and mortality. For this reason, the ingestion of foreign bodies in children is one of the most important health problems. Material and Methods: Between January 2014 and June 2017, 119 patients, admitted to Mustafa Kemal University [MKÜ] Faculty of Medicine, Department of Pediatric Surgery with foreign body ingestion diagnosis, were retrospectively studied. Patients were evaluated in terms of age, gender, complaints of arrival, ingested foreign body quality, location in the gastrointestinal tract and treatment approaches. Results: Of the patients, 74 were males [62%] and 45 were females [38%]. The mean age of the patients was 4.3 years [6 months-15 years]. Foreign bodies most commonly seen in the esophagus first stenosis in 73 patients [61%].Most commonly complaint at presentation was parental recognition of the ingested object and hypersalivation. The most commonly ingested foreign bodies included coins. Conclusion: Esophagoscopy must be performed foreign bodies in the esophagus should be treated conservatively, in case of clinical suspicion, the possibility of foreign body ingestion must be kept in mind. Education of the parents and taking some precautions where the children play are the most important protective factors.