Emergency Department Experience of Foreign Body Ingestion: An Analysis of 69 Cases in an Academic Hospital in Saudi Arabia

Abstract

Aim: Foreign body (FB) ingestions represent a challenging clinical problem in the emergency departments (EDs), and 20% of cases undergo an endoscopy. We aimed to report our experience with FB ingestion based on age, sex, type of FB material, comorbidities, and intervention in ED of King Abdulaziz Univer-sity hospital where an emergency endoscopic service is available.Materials and Methods: This was a retrospective descriptive study of patients who presented to ED with FB ingestion over a 4-year period (January 2013 to December 2017) and who were managed by either an upper endoscopy or laparotomy.Results: A total of 130 patients presented with FB to ED; we included 69 patients (53%) who were treated using either endoscopy or laparotomy. The majority of patients had ingested a single FB (97%), with children representing 83% of the patients. The most common age group of FB ingestion was 0–4 years, with a male predominance (57%). The most common type of FB material was metallic in the pediatric patients and food in the adult patients; 45% of the patients were symptomatic. Comorbidities were present only in 13% of the patients. X-ray was performed in 87% of the patients, whereas computed tomography was performed only in 7%. The esophagus (75%) and stomach (13%) were the most common anatomical locations for FB. Upper endoscopy was the most common procedure performed (93%), and it was almost successful in all patients at the first attempt (96%).Conclusion: FB ingestion is common in children, and approximately half of the patients underwent an emergency endoscopy. The availability of such a service is invaluable in the management of FB ingestion given its high success rate and low complications.