Endoscopic management of ingested foreign bodies in children: A tertiary center experience in Bangladesh

Abstract

Aims

To examine the features of foreign body ingestion and evaluate the effectiveness of endoscopic therapy for foreign body ingestion in Bangladeshi children.

Methods

I retrospectively reviewed the medical records of 97 children diagnosed with foreign body ingestion that required endoscopic removal from 2016 to 2023.

Results

The children were aged between 3 months and 15 years, with a mean age of 2.9 ​± ​4.9 years, with more than 80 ​% of the patients being under 5 years of age. Foreign body ingestion was observed at a high frequency (71.1 ​%) in children aged one to five years. Coins (67 ​%) and button batteries (5.2 ​%) were the most common foreign bodies swallowed by kids, and the majority of them were accidental (97.9 ​%). The majority of the foreign bodies were blunt (74.3 ​%), but some were sharp (18.6 ​%). Fifty-six percent of esophageal foreign bodies and 94 ​% of gastric foreign bodies were asymptomatic. Around 80 ​% of button batteries and 77.8 ​% of pointed objects were effectively removed from the body within 24 ​h of ingestion. Similarly, food impaction and blunt objects (98.6 ​% and 100 ​%, respectively) were successfully removed after the 24-h period. Endoscopic removal was successful in 99 ​% of cases, with minimal complications. When button batteries and sharp objects were consumed, the severity of erythema, erosion, bleeding, and ulceration increased along with the length of impaction.

Conclusions

Foreign body ingestion is a frequent occurrence in children under the age of five. Coin was the most common foreign body, with the majority of asymptomatic presentations. Prompt identification and timely extraction of swallowed foreign bodies may improve clinical outcomes.