Brief Article
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World J Gastroenterol. Oct 14, 2013; 19(38): 6447-6452
Published online Oct 14, 2013. doi: 10.3748/wjg.v19.i38.6447
Emergency admissions due to swallowed foreign bodies in adults
Bülent Erbil, Mehmet Ali Karaca, Mehmet Ali Aslaner, Zaur İbrahimov, Mehmet Mahir Kunt, Erhan Akpinar, Mehmet Mahir Özmen
Bülent Erbil, Mehmet Ali Karaca, Mehmet Ali Aslaner, Zaur İbrahimov, Mehmet Mahir Kunt, Department of Emergency Medicine, Faculty of Medicine, Hacettepe University, 06100 Ankara, Turkey
Erhan Akpinar, Department of Radiology, Faculty of Medicine, Hacettepe University, 06100 Ankara, Turkey
Mehmet Mahir Özmen, Department of General Surgery, Faculty of Medicine, Hacettepe University, 06100 Ankara, Turkey
Author contributions: Erbil B and Karaca MA performed the majority of experiments, designed the study and wrote the manuscript; Aslaner MA, İbrahimov Z and Kunt MM coordinated and provided the collection of all data and material for this work; Akpinar E and Özmen MM provided vital reagents and analytical tools and were also involved in editing the manuscript.
Correspondence to: Bülent Erbil, MD, Department of Emergency Medicine, Faculty of Medicine, Hacettepe University, 06100 Ankara, Turkey. berbil@hacettepe.edu.tr
Telephone: +90-312-3052503 Fax: +90-312-3052512
Received: July 25, 2013
Revised: August 31, 2013
Accepted: September 15, 2013
Published online: October 14, 2013
Abstract

AIM: To study a retrospective analysis of patients who presented to the emergency departments (ED) with complaints related to foreign body ingestions.

METHODS: Patients older than 16 years of age who presented to the ED between January 1st and December 31st of 2010 with complaints related to swallowed foreign bodies were identified from electronic health records and patient charts.

RESULTS: A total of 100 patients presented with a complaint of foreign body ingestion during the study period. Overall, an X-ray was performed on 75 patients, and a fiberoptic evaluation was performed on 45 patients. A foreign body was detected in 46 (46%) patients. The diagnostic yield of the X-ray was 27 (36%) out of 75 patients, while the diagnostic yield of the fiberoptic evaluations was 21 (47%) out of 45 patients. The detected foreign bodies were mostly located in the esophagus (17 out of 46 foreign bodies detected). When the types of ingested foreign bodies were evaluated, 52 (52%) patients reported ingesting food, and 19 (19%) patients reported swallowing pins. An X-ray was performed on 33 patients with accidental food ingestions but yielded a positive result in only two cases. In 12 out of 21 patients with accidental food ingestion who underwent fiberoptic evaluation, the foreign material was detected and removed.

CONCLUSION: Plain radiography is helpful in the localization of radiopaque swollen foreign bodies, while fiberoptic methods are useful as both diagnostic and therapeutic tools, regardless of radiopacity.

Keywords: Foreign body, Ingestion, Gastrointestinal tract, Endoscopy, Emergency

Core tip: The majority of foreign bodies swallowed by patients who present to the emergency departments cannot be detected using standard imaging studies and evaluation. Plain radiography is especially useful in the localization of radiopaque foreign bodies, while fiberoptic methods can be used as both diagnostic and therapeutic tools, regardless of the radiopacity of the foreign body ingested.