Foreign body ingestion
Another ED special lol
| History | What objects? How many? Safeguarding → supervision? |
| Examination | A: airway obstruction → Impending airway doom B: wheezing? (see Foreign body in ENT) C/D... E: dysphagia, drooling, refusing food, globus sensation |
| Investigations | Neck/chest/abdo XR in 2 views |
magnets
| Main hazard: multiple strong magnets being attracted to each other between loops of bowel → perforation/ischaemia | |
|---|---|
| Key history | What kind of magnets? Ceramic vs rare earth (neodynium) - rare earth magnets are 5-10x stronger |
| Diagnostic investigations | AP and lateral CXR + AXR |
| Immediate management | Risk - perforation with multiple magnets If definite evidence of single magnet, may be safe for discharge |
| Ongoing management | Endoscopic vs laparotomy for removal |
special case: Button battery ingestion
sources/links
EOE ODN guidelines