Unique Pattern of True Foreign-Body Ingestion in the Valley of Kashmir; Sharp Foreign Bodies Outnumbering the Blunt Ones

Abstract

ABSTRACT Background and Aims: Foreign-body ingestion is a common phenomenon, especially in children. In normal adults, foreign-body ingestion is usually accidental and mostly ingestion occurs with food and impaction is a result of structural abnormalities of the upper gastrointestinal tract (UGIT). However, accidental ingestion of nonfood products is unusual; especially ingestion of pins (scarf or safety pins) and needles is unknown. We come across ingestion of these unusual/sharp foreign bodies routinely from the past few years. The aim of this study was to observe, over a period of 1 year, the spectrum of nonfood or true foreign-body ingestion in our community and to see the impact of an early endoscopy on outcome or retrieval of the ingested objects. Materials and Methods: In a prospective observational study, we studied the profile of foreign-body ingestion in normal individuals of all ages and both sexes, excluding the individuals with any structural abnormalities of the gut and the people with psychiatric ailment. Results: Of total 51 patients with foreign-body ingestion, 42 (82%) were 20 or <20 years of age with females constituting 86.3% of the total and males constituting only 13.7%. Foreign bodies ingested included 38 pins (74.5%), seven coins (13.7%), four needles (7.8%), and one denture and a nail (2%) each. Overall 26 (51%) foreign bodies were seen in UGIT (within reach of retrieval) at the time of endoscopy and all of them were retrieved. Nineteen (37.3%) patients reported within 6 h of ingestion, and majority of them (16 = 84.2%) had foreign bodies within UGIT and all of them were removed. Those patients (n = 32; 62.7%) who reported beyond 6 h, only 10 (31.25%) had foreign bodies in UGIT as a result of which the success rate of removal in these patients was only 32%. Conclusion: Most of our patients were young females and the common foreign bodies ingested were sharp including scarf pins followed by coins and needles. The success rate of retrieval was high in those who reported within 6 h of ingestion of foreign body. The rate of retrieval was 100% if foreign body was found on esophagogastroduodenoscopy. Hence, we recommend an early endoscopy in these patients and some alternative to use of scarf pins.