Gastrointestinal transit time of radiopaque ingested foreign bodies in children: experience of two paediatric tertiary centres
Introduction: Foreign body (FB) ingestion is a common paediatric emergency. While guidelines exist for urgent intervention, less is known of the natural progress of FBs passing through the gastrointestinal tract (GIT). We reviewed these FB transit times in an outpatient cohort. Methods: A retrospect...
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| Format: | Article |
| Language: | English |
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Wolters Kluwer – Medknow Publications
2025-01-01
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| Series: | Singapore Medical Journal |
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| Online Access: | https://journals.lww.com/10.4103/singaporemedj.SMJ-2021-408 |
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| author | Chen Xiang Ang Win Kai Mun Marion Margaret Aw Diana Lin Shu-Ling Chong Lin Yin Ong Shireen Anne Nah |
| author_facet | Chen Xiang Ang Win Kai Mun Marion Margaret Aw Diana Lin Shu-Ling Chong Lin Yin Ong Shireen Anne Nah |
| author_sort | Chen Xiang Ang |
| collection | DOAJ |
| description | Introduction:
Foreign body (FB) ingestion is a common paediatric emergency. While guidelines exist for urgent intervention, less is known of the natural progress of FBs passing through the gastrointestinal tract (GIT). We reviewed these FB transit times in an outpatient cohort.
Methods:
A retrospective review was performed on all children (≤18 years) treated for radiopaque FB ingestion at two major tertiary paediatric centres from 2015 to 2016. Demographic data, FB types, outcomes and hospital visits (emergency department [ED] and outpatient) were recorded. All cases discharged from the ED with outpatient follow-up were included. We excluded those who were not given follow-up appointments and those admitted to inpatient wards. We categorised the outcomes into confirmed passage (ascertained via abdominal X-ray or reported direct stool visualisation by patients/caregivers) and assumed passage (if patients did not attend follow-up appointments).
Results:
Of the 2,122 ED visits for FB ingestion, 350 patients who were given outpatient follow-up appointments were reviewed (median age 4.35 years [range: 0.5–14.7], 196 [56%] male). The largest proportion (16%) was aged 1–2 years. Coins were the most common ingested FB, followed by toys. High-risk FB (magnets or batteries) formed 9% of cases (n=33). The 50th centile for FB retention was 8, 4 and 7 days for coins, batteries and other radiopaque FBs, respectively; all confirmed passages occurred at 37, 7 and 23 days, respectively. Overall, 197 (68%) patients defaulted on their last given follow-up.
Conclusion:
This study provides insight into the transit times of FB ingested by children, which helps medical professionals to decide on the optimal time for follow-up visits and provide appropriate counsel to caregivers. |
| format | Article |
| id | doaj-art-fa8ea40322d642718f5fe10082770197 |
| institution | Kabale University |
| issn | 0037-5675 2737-5935 |
| language | English |
| publishDate | 2025-01-01 |
| publisher | Wolters Kluwer – Medknow Publications |
| record_format | Article |
| series | Singapore Medical Journal |
| spelling | doaj-art-fa8ea40322d642718f5fe100827701972025-02-09T13:06:18ZengWolters Kluwer – Medknow PublicationsSingapore Medical Journal0037-56752737-59352025-01-01661242710.4103/singaporemedj.SMJ-2021-408Gastrointestinal transit time of radiopaque ingested foreign bodies in children: experience of two paediatric tertiary centresChen Xiang AngWin Kai MunMarion Margaret AwDiana LinShu-Ling ChongLin Yin OngShireen Anne NahIntroduction: Foreign body (FB) ingestion is a common paediatric emergency. While guidelines exist for urgent intervention, less is known of the natural progress of FBs passing through the gastrointestinal tract (GIT). We reviewed these FB transit times in an outpatient cohort. Methods: A retrospective review was performed on all children (≤18 years) treated for radiopaque FB ingestion at two major tertiary paediatric centres from 2015 to 2016. Demographic data, FB types, outcomes and hospital visits (emergency department [ED] and outpatient) were recorded. All cases discharged from the ED with outpatient follow-up were included. We excluded those who were not given follow-up appointments and those admitted to inpatient wards. We categorised the outcomes into confirmed passage (ascertained via abdominal X-ray or reported direct stool visualisation by patients/caregivers) and assumed passage (if patients did not attend follow-up appointments). Results: Of the 2,122 ED visits for FB ingestion, 350 patients who were given outpatient follow-up appointments were reviewed (median age 4.35 years [range: 0.5–14.7], 196 [56%] male). The largest proportion (16%) was aged 1–2 years. Coins were the most common ingested FB, followed by toys. High-risk FB (magnets or batteries) formed 9% of cases (n=33). The 50th centile for FB retention was 8, 4 and 7 days for coins, batteries and other radiopaque FBs, respectively; all confirmed passages occurred at 37, 7 and 23 days, respectively. Overall, 197 (68%) patients defaulted on their last given follow-up. Conclusion: This study provides insight into the transit times of FB ingested by children, which helps medical professionals to decide on the optimal time for follow-up visits and provide appropriate counsel to caregivers.https://journals.lww.com/10.4103/singaporemedj.SMJ-2021-408complicationsepidemiologyforeign bodygastrointestinal tractpaediatric |
| spellingShingle | Chen Xiang Ang Win Kai Mun Marion Margaret Aw Diana Lin Shu-Ling Chong Lin Yin Ong Shireen Anne Nah Gastrointestinal transit time of radiopaque ingested foreign bodies in children: experience of two paediatric tertiary centres Singapore Medical Journal complications epidemiology foreign body gastrointestinal tract paediatric |
| title | Gastrointestinal transit time of radiopaque ingested foreign bodies in children: experience of two paediatric tertiary centres |
| title_full | Gastrointestinal transit time of radiopaque ingested foreign bodies in children: experience of two paediatric tertiary centres |
| title_fullStr | Gastrointestinal transit time of radiopaque ingested foreign bodies in children: experience of two paediatric tertiary centres |
| title_full_unstemmed | Gastrointestinal transit time of radiopaque ingested foreign bodies in children: experience of two paediatric tertiary centres |
| title_short | Gastrointestinal transit time of radiopaque ingested foreign bodies in children: experience of two paediatric tertiary centres |
| title_sort | gastrointestinal transit time of radiopaque ingested foreign bodies in children experience of two paediatric tertiary centres |
| topic | complications epidemiology foreign body gastrointestinal tract paediatric |
| url | https://journals.lww.com/10.4103/singaporemedj.SMJ-2021-408 |
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