ABSTRACT
Eighty percent of ingested foreign bodies will pass without the need for intervention.
Implications • Risks of impaction, with obstruction or perforation depending on the type
of the foreign body • Risk of aspiration depending on the location of the foreign body • Usually (not necessarily) paediatric population • All issues relating to a shared airway • Underlying oesophageal motility disorder causing impaction
Management • History, examination, and investigations to ascertain the type and location
of the foreign body
Timing of intervention • Emergency intervention in patients with esophageal obstruction or
ingestion of sharp objects leading to perforation or batteries leading to liquefaction necrosis and perforation
• Nonurgent: Coins in the esophagus may be observed for 12−24 hours in an asymptomatic patient
Airway control • The most acceptable technique to remove a gastrointestinal foreign body
remains controversial. Initial management includes assessment of the patient’s ventilatory status and an airway evaluation.
