Failure of standard methods for retrieving an unusual foreign body in esophagus: A case report

Diagnosis, treatment, and management of esophageal foreign bodies in patients with mental retardation: A retrospective study from three centers

Background

This study aims to assess the outcomes and prognosis of surgical interventions aimed at removing esophageal foreign bodies in patients with mental retardation.

Methods

Between January 2010 and January 2021, a total of 30 consecutive patients (20 males, 10 females; median age: 29.5 years; range, 2 to 57 years) with mental retardation who were diagnosed with esophageal foreign bodies and underwent surgical treatment were retrospectively analyzed. Age and sex of the patients, symptoms, type of the foreign body, esophageal stricture level, methods used for preoperative diagnosis, type of surgical procedure, postoperative complications, and length of hospital stay were recorded.

Results

Seventeen (56.6%) patients had a foreign body in the first narrowing, 12 (40%) in the second narrowing, and one (3.3%) in the third narrowing. A rigid esophagoscopy was performed in all cases. However, successful removal was not achieved in two (6.6%) cases, and foreign bodies were removed through cervical esophagotomy in one (3.3%) patient and through esophagotomy with right thoracotomy in one (3.3%) patient. Postoperative complications included esophagitis in seven patients (23.3%) and wound infection and pneumonia in two patients (6.6%). The median length of hospital stay after treatment was 1.09 days in patients without complications and 3.3 days in patients with complications. There was a significant correlation between the occurrence of complications and the length of hospital stay (p=0.002). The foreign body was successfully removed in all patients, and no mortality was observed.

Conclusion

Early diagnosis and emergency intervention can reduce complications, particularly considering the possibility of non-food and sharp-edged foreign bodies that pose a higher risk of damaging the digestive system, in patients with mental retardation than those without such conditions.

Ingestion of a row of artificial dentures in an adult: A case report and review of the literature

RATIONALE

Foreign body (FB) ingestion is a common clinical emergency, although in most cases, the FB can pass safely through the entire gastrointestinal tract without causing any damage. However, ingestion of large dentures is very rare and alarming, as it can threaten the intestinal mucosa and cause perforation of the gastrointestinal tract, among other complications.

PATIENT CONCERNS

A 64-year-old Chinese male was referred to our hospital for removal of a FB, which was a large denture. Clinical symptoms included chest and upper abdominal pain. He had no cough or dyspnea. Medical history included a recent cerebral infarction, craniocerebral surgery, and being bedridden for a long term.

DIAGNOSES

We initially suspected a single and smooth denture, complicated by pharyngeal and esophageal mucosal injury. Radiographic examination however showed a 70-mm long opaque object located in the middle and upper esophagus, close to the trachea and aorta.

INTERVENTIONS

Multiple dentures and metal hooks were removed via endoscopy using a net, grasping forceps, and rubber jacket.

OUTCOMES

The patient recovered well and experienced no postoperative complications. The patient was discharged 5 days after endoscopic therapy.

LESSONS

Our case showed that endoscopy was effective for the retrieval of an esophageal FB. For sharp FBs, the use of a net and rubber jacket is a good choice. However, we advocate for appropriate surgery in patients in whom endoscopy is not possible after an accurate diagnosis or those with severe complications.

Esophageal Foreign Bodies in Pediatric Age Group with Different Durations of time from Ingestion to Effective Treatment

A foreign body(FB) is any object in a region it is not meant to be, where it can cause harm by its mere presence if immediate medical attention is not sought. Foreign body is particularly common in the pediatric population especially below 5 years of age and in whom prevalence was reported to vary between 57% and 80%. Endoscopic interventions are indicated when the foreign objects fail to pass spontaneously. The standard methods to remove these foreign bodies include push technique and retrieval methods using various endoscopic instruments. Study of 302 patients admitted with the final diagnosis of esophageal foreign body during January 2017 - April 2018, for sex, age, diagnosis on admission, estimated duration and site of impaction, type and number of foreign body removed. During the study period, 302 patients (169 males and 133 females) of different ages, maximum in the age group of 1-5 years i.e 197 cases were admitted with the diagnosis of esophageal foreign body. 11% of patients were less than 1 year of age & 23% were more than 5 years of age at the time of admission. Most of them presented to hospital within 24 hours of ingestion of foreign body i.e 85%. In this study all the children with suspected foreign body esophagus underwent Xray and FB was found in 300/302 i.e its diagnostic accuracy (sensitivity) is 98%. Rigid esophagoscopy was done in all 302 pts with 100% diagnostic accuracy. Different types of foreign bodies ingested most common being coin i.e in 91% patients followed by FB battery in 17 patients and safety pin in 6 patients. Majority of foreign bodies were located in the cricopharynx (198) followed by upper esophagus (67) and mid-esophagus (25) and only 10 cases involved the lower esophagus and spontaneous passage was found in 2 cases. The most common foreign bodies in children are coins and toys. Sharp foreign bodies are difficult to remove but need to be removed carefully at the earliest to prevent dreaded complications like - retropharyngeal abscess and mediastinitis.

Supplementary Information

The online version contains supplementary material available at 10.1007/s12070-023-03578-8.

Esophageal Foreign Body Removal: A Novel Approach

Upper esophageal foreign body impaction is a common clinical presentation and often requires medical attention. The most common foreign bodies encountered in the adult population are food-related, e.g., steak pieces and meat bones. Endoscopic interventions are indicated when the foreign objects fail to pass spontaneously. The standard methods to remove these foreign bodies include push technique and retrieval methods using various endoscopic instruments. However, we report a unique method that was used to remove a large upper esophageal impacted foreign body refractory to removal by standard procedures.

An Unusually Large Object Removed From the Upper Esophagus in a Patient With Self Harm Syndrome

A 32-year-old female with a history of bipolar disorder and schizophrenia was transported to our tertiary-care hospital after swallowing a large toilet paper holder bracket. Removal of the large foreign body required coordination between anesthesiology, otolaryngology, and trauma surgery. A tracheostomy airway was established, and the object was removed transorally. The object was found to be a toilet paper holder bracket measuring 7.5 cm × 5.4 cm × 5.4 cm with a 2.6 cm screw protruding from the end. A review of articles describing the removal of foreign bodies from the upper aerodigestive tract found our object to be the largest foreign body ingestion described in literature. One report suggested that 18% of adult patients with foreign body ingestions had primary neuropsychiatric disorders. Our patient's psychiatric disorder was a major underlying factor leading to the ingestion, with our patient reporting hallucinations instructing her to ingest household objects.