Hijab Pin Ingestions

Abstract

OBJECTIVES: To characterize the clinical manifestations, outcomes, and complications of hijab pin ingestion in adolescents and to identify risk factors for a need for intervention. METHODS: A retrospective review of patients <25 years of age who presented to our emergency department because of hijab pin ingestion between 2007 and 2018. Comparison was performed between impaled and nonimpaled pins. RESULTS: We reviewed 1558 foreign-body ingestion cases. Of these, 208 (13.3%) patients presented because of hijab pin ingestion, with a total of 225 ingested pins. The mean patient age was 14.7 ± 4.1 years, and 88% of patients were girls. Time from ingestion to presentation was 24 ± 49.5 hours. Most pins were located in the stomach (46.6%), and 18.6% of all pins were impaled. Location in the stomach (odds ratio = 4.3 [95% confidence interval: 1.9–9.2]; P < .001) and abdominal tenderness on examination (odds ratio = 2.7 [95% confidence interval: 1.3–5.6]; P = .007) were strong independent risk factors for an impaled pin. Time to intervention was 22.9 hours, and 41 endoscopies were performed. One patient required laparoscopic surgery. No complications were observed. CONCLUSIONS: The hijab pin is an increasingly encountered foreign body in pediatric practice. Its specific clinical features distinguish it from other sharp objects. A delayed interventional approach in selected patients does not carry a higher risk of complications and results in significantly fewer interventions compared to existing guidelines. These findings will help guide pediatric specialists in this prevalent clinical scenario. Management recommendations are proposed.