Foreign body ingestion in pediatrics: A 5-years’ experience from a tertiary center

Abstract

Background: Foreign body ingestion is a common problem in pediatric population. The present study was conducted in a tertiary care center with high pediatric population census to describe the clinical, radiographic and management characteristics in pediatric patients with FB ingestion.

Methods: A retrospective descriptive and analytical study was performed on pediatric patients admitted with foreign body ingestion over a five-year-period from July, 2016 to July, 2021. The inclusion criteria were patients from 0 to 12 years of age who presented to the emergency department with FB swallow during the study period.

Results: Ninety-four patients were included. The mean age was 3.28+2.14 years. The most commonly ingested FB was coins (44.68%), followed by magnets (27.65%), button batteries (12.76%), sharp FB (9.57%), other blunt objects (5.31%). Upper GI endoscopy was used for extraction of the ingested object in 34 patients (36.17%) and successful retrieval was accomplished in 21 patients. Coin ingestion was the predominant type in children under 5 years compared to older children (49.29% vs 30.43%), resulting in 2.2-fold increased risk in children under 5 years.

Conclusion: Foreign body ingestion in pediatrics is a common problem. Coins are the most prevalent while batteries are more dangerous.