Pediatric foreign body ingestion and outcomes of endoscopic management: Four year experience from a tertiary care centre in south India

Abstract

Introduction: One of the common emergency paediatricians face in their daily practice is ingestion of foreign bodies. The clinical presentation, investigation and appropriate management vary for different foreign bodies. Advances in endoscopic techniques and accessories have enabled non-surgical removal in children with excellent outcome. Data are relatively few from this region of the world. Method: We present our experience over four years in upper gastrointestinal endoscopic management of ingested foreign bodies from January 2017 to December 2020. In this retrospective study the type of foreign bodies, nature, and number of foreign bodies ingested and the success of endoscopic intervention in these children were collected and analyzed using SPSS 15.0 statistical software. Result: A total of 137 children were subjected for upper gastrointestinal endoscopy during the study period. The majority of the foreign body ingested were coins followed by button battery. Most of the foreign body was located in the stomach. Endoscopic interventions were done using appropriate accessories and the procedures were successful with good outcome. Conclusion: The spectrum of foreign body ingestion varies in different parts of the region due to the varied cultural and social factors. Endoscopic intervention is a timely and safe procedure in majority of foreign body ingestion with excellent outcome in a specialised gastroenterology unit.