Small carelessness can have big consequences

Foreign bodies in the digestive tract are one of the most common medical emergencies that can occur at any age and in any situation. From fish bones, pills with shells to small objects such as batteries, toothpicks or magnets, they can all become “silent killers” if not detected and treated promptly.

Esophagus - the most common "stuck point"

According to statistics from the Department of Endoscopy - Functional Exploration, Chau Doc General Hospital, from January 2023 to June 2025, the unit received and successfully performed 129 cases of endoscopic removal of foreign bodies in the digestive tract using a flexible endoscope. This is a remarkable number, reflecting the situation of foreign body swallowing accidents that are still common in people's daily lives. Most of the patients come from rural areas (69.8%), nearly twice as high as in urban areas (30.2%). This shows that cognitive factors and living habits play a major role in the risk of foreign body ingestion. Rural people are often subjective when eating and drinking or lack first aid skills when encountering an accident.

The battery was removed from patient T. Photo: GIA KHÁNH

In 129 cases, there were 66 male patients (51.2%) and 63 female patients (48.8%). This ratio shows that males and females with foreign bodies are almost equal, however, in the group of children under 10 years old, males are the majority. The reason is thought to be because boys are often more active, curious and play with strange objects. Notably, there were 5 cases under 10 years old that were still successfully removed foreign bodies using an adult endoscope under endotracheal anesthesia.

Of the cases, nearly 90% of foreign objects are stuck in the esophagus. According to specialists, most patients are only hospitalized when they feel discomfort or choking in the neck or chest, that is, when the foreign object is stuck in the esophagus. Foreign objects that go down to the stomach often cause little sensation, so patients are easily subjective, leading to the risk of intestinal perforation, peritonitis or intestinal obstruction if not detected early. In many cases, Chau Doc General Hospital had to perform emergency surgery due to foreign objects causing perforation of hollow organs, such as the small intestine or colon, a dangerous complication that can be life-threatening.

Analysis by the Department of Endoscopy - Functional Examination showed that bones (43.4%) and pills with shells (34.1%) were the two most common types of foreign objects. In addition, the hospital also recorded cases of swallowing meat (13.2%), dentures (3%), metal, plastic, plant seeds and even medicine tube shells. Pills with shells have sharp edges, easily stuck in the esophageal mucosa, causing damage, even bleeding. Regarding the shape of foreign objects, the group with sharp edges accounted for 81.4%, often causing more severe mucosal damage than round or smooth foreign objects.

Treatment success

All patients who came to Chau Doc General Hospital had their foreign objects successfully removed by flexible endoscopy, with no complications recorded after the procedure. Most patients who came to the hospital within the first 6 hours after swallowing the foreign object were anesthetized and discharged the same day. Children under 15 years old were admitted for observation and anesthetized with endotracheal intubation, and discharged after 48 hours.

In August 2024, patient Nguyen Van T, 7 years old, residing in Vinh Hau commune, was taken to the hospital by his family because he had swallowed a watch battery (AA battery). On September 14, 2025, boy Tran Chi K, 5 years old, residing in Thanh My Tay commune, accidentally picked up and swallowed a metal key chain while playing. Immediately, doctors and nurses consulted on a plan, performed endoscopy to remove the foreign object under anesthesia for the children. After 1 day of monitoring, both children were healthy and were discharged from the hospital.

“Foreign bodies in the digestive tract are a daily accident that can happen at any time, to anyone. People should not treat it themselves by eating more food or trying to vomit it out because it can easily cause the foreign body to move deeper or cause a tear or perforation in the digestive tract. What you need to do is go to the nearest medical facility to have an endoscopy performed promptly,” Dr. Vo Duong Trieu, Department of Endoscopy - Functional Exploration, advised.

Parents and residents should not let children play alone with small, sharp or easily swallowed objects, such as batteries, magnets, beads, nails, LED bulbs, key chains, etc.; keep dangerous objects out of reach of children; instruct children to recognize objects that can be dangerous. When suspecting a child has swallowed a foreign object, quickly take the child to the hospital for diagnosis and treatment by endoscopy. For adults, be careful when eating foods with many bones, especially fish bones and chicken bones; peel off the medicine packaging before taking it; avoid talking or laughing while eating.

Chau Doc General Hospital also proposed to invest in additional endoscopes specifically for children to better serve the removal of foreign objects as well as the diagnosis and treatment of pediatric digestive diseases. This is an essential need as the number of cases of children with foreign objects tends to increase.

Foreign bodies in the digestive tract seem small but can become a big danger if there is lack of knowledge and subjectivity. 1 careful action in daily life, 1 second, minute of attention when eating and drinking can help each person avoid dangerous complications, even save lives.

GIA KHANH

Source: https://baoangiang.com.vn/bat-can-nho-co-the-gay-hau-qua-lon-a464794.html