Abstract
Background : In emergency departments of hospitals, patients with foreign bodies lodged in the upper gastrointestinal tract are often encountered. Flexible endoscopy is useful for the removal of foreign bodies and, here, we review the clinical characteristics of these cases and clarify the risk of complications. Methods : We retrospectively examined 104 cases between July 1996 and December 2008 at Saiseikai Kumamoto Hospital in which a foreign body was endoscopically removed from the upper gastrointestinal tract of an adult patient. We analyzed the age and sex of patients, symptoms, complications, previous history, type and location of foreign body, the endoscopic device used, and clinical course. Results : Most foreign bodies were sharp objects : press-through packaging (PTP) in 30 cases, dental prosthesis in 24, bone (fish or other animal bone) in 22, and toothpick in 4. Foreign bodies were lodged in the esophagus in 59 cases (57%) and in the stomach in 33 (33%). In 7 patients who had complications caused by the foreign body, the foreign body was a sharp object. Of the 75 patients who knew the time of accidental ingestion, complications occurred in 4 of 67 cases (6%) treated less than 24 hours after ingestion and in 3 of 8 (38%) patients treated more than 24 hours after ingestion. Conclusion : Most foreign bodies lodged in the upper gastrointestinal tract were sharp objects. Attention must be paid to complications in patients treated ≥24 hours after accidental foreign body ingestion.
