What to do if a child swallows something inedible?

Foreign bodies are objects unusual for the body that have entered its tissues or organs through lesions on the skin or natural openings.

A foreign body in the intestine may appear when swallowed or enter through the anus.

Foreign bodies in the intestines can be very diverse. These are bones from fruits, fish or chicken, seeds, toothpicks, dentures for teeth. These objects can be accidentally swallowed during conversation, laughter, sudden swallowing, coughing, while eating, in an inadequate state (during intoxication, for example) or during suicide attempts. Sometimes you may come across unsafe objects: pieces of broken glass, nails, sewing needles (seamstresses and tailors, for example, have a habit of holding needles in their mouths while working).

In children, foreign bodies appear in the intestines accidentally: a child may swallow a coin, buttons or a small part of a toy while playing. Most often, these objects are passed out unhindered in the stool after 2-3 days. However, we recommend that you consult a doctor in all such cases!

A foreign body may end up in the intestines and through the anus. For example, there are known cases of hemorrhoids being treated in very non-standard ways - with the help of a fresh cucumber introduced into the anus. Such self-medication ends with an emergency request for medical help.

In approximately every 5th or every 10th case of a foreign body entering the intestine, the help of a doctor is required. Under favorable conditions, the foreign body, having been in the intestines, safely comes out naturally during bowel movements.

In more serious cases, a foreign object in the intestine can cut the intestine with sharp edges.

It is important to understand that when a foreign body is introduced into the intestine, there is a danger of rupture of the rectal mucosa, bleeding, and painful shock. Tissue damage can subsequently lead to fistulas, sphincter incontinence, and rectal prolapse. The most dangerous scenario is intestinal perforation with inflammation in the pelvis, perforation of the intestinal wall and the development of peritonitis or an abscess isolated by adhesions. In this case, major surgery will be required.

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Foreign body in the intestine. Treatment.

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Under no circumstances should you try to independently remove a foreign body in the intestines with your hands, foreign objects, using laxatives or enemas. You should consult a doctor immediately!

At “MedicCity” you will receive assistance professionally, delicately, maintaining complete anonymity and using the most gentle methods possible!

Reasons for foreign body entering the intestine

A foreign object may appear in the anus in the following cases:

• the patient administers it to himself while in an inadequate state (for example, intoxication or psychosis);
• when trying to use a foreign object to straighten hemorrhoids, a prolapsed rectum, or to clear the passage of feces due to constipation;
• during medical procedures (insertion of a thermometer or gas tube into the anus);
• when fecal stones form in the intestinal lumen;
• a foreign body in the anus may appear as a result of stimulation of the anus during sexual intercourse.

Kids are very inquisitive and want to try and taste everything that comes into their hands. Sometimes children may swallow foreign objects while eating or playing. If it was not possible to prevent the situation, it is extremely important for parents not to get confused, to sensibly assess the situation and provide first aid to the child.

What can a child swallow?

Objects that can get into the baby’s gastrointestinal tract can be divided into two large groups:

1. Particularly dangerous foreign bodies:

- battery, magnet, coin, pin, glass, nail, foil, iron balls, screws, nails, toothpick, paper clip, fish bone, wooden stick;

- substances with poisonous and toxic properties.

1. Less dangerous foreign bodies:

- pits from plums, cherries, peach, chewing gum

- plastic and rubber items (plastic buttons, beads, Legos, vacuum bands from headphones, cellophane);

— building materials (spray foam, silica gel);

— body parts (lost baby teeth, hair);

- other products (stone, plasticine, hair elastic, thread, cotton wool, etc.).

Signs and symptoms that indicate your child has swallowed a small object

If you did not see that your child had swallowed a foreign body and did not take any action, over time he may develop the following symptoms:

• excessive salivation;
• anxiety;
• bouts of severe coughing, difficulty breathing;
• a sharp rise in temperature;
• bloating, sharp and severe pain;
• presence of blood in saliva or stool;
• chest pain;
• nausea and vomiting
• refusal of food.

We must not forget that in rare cases, an asymptomatic course of this pathology is observed. In this group of patients, the diagnosis is made already when various complications appear.

If you see that the child has suddenly started coughing, choking, or turned pale, you should immediately take him to the hospital. The main thing for parents in such a situation is not to panic.

Under no circumstances should you:

- give enemas or give the young researcher laxatives.

Artificially speeding up the digestive system can lead to a number of undesirable consequences. A foreign object can injure the walls of internal organs with its edges and get stuck in the intestines, thereby causing its obstruction;

- force the baby to eat a piece of solid food, for example, a crust of stale bread;

- try to remove the foreign body using tweezers or a magnet.

What will they do at the hospital?

Complaints and medical history are not criteria for reliably establishing the presence or absence of foreign bodies in the esophagus.

The main diagnostic method in such cases is esophagoscopy, which turns from a diagnostic procedure into a therapeutic one. The tactic of performing esophagoscopy is justified in all patients with foreign bodies of the esophagus or with reasonable suspicion.

Possible consequences

Waiting for the moment when a dangerous foreign body leaves the body on its own can cost the child’s life. So, when a battery gets into the gastric juice, it begins to oxidize and release toxic substances that are harmful to health.

Over the past 15 years, the Irkutsk Regional Children's Clinical Hospital has provided assistance to 185 children with foreign bodies lodged in the esophagus. The main age group consisted of children from 1 to 3 years old (more than 65%). Foreign bodies removed by doctors turned out to be coins in 71% of cases, and in 17% of children - toy parts, food fragments and batteries. The presence of a foreign body in the esophagus for more than three days can lead to serious consequences and even death of the disease. The most serious complication is perforation of the esophagus and, as a consequence, various complications: neck phlegmon, mediastinitis, bleeding.

Symptoms of a foreign body

The most characteristic signs are the following:

• pain when swallowing and severe pain in the esophagus;
• sometimes nausea, vomiting, pain, bleeding (indicates damage to the gastric mucosa);
• sudden sharp pain during bowel movements (this means that the foreign body has already reached the rectum);
• pain in the anus;
• feeling of “fullness” in the intestines;
• false urge to defecate, etc.

The appearance of other symptoms depends on the size and shape of the foreign object that has entered the body, the time it remains in the digestive tract, as well as whether an infection has entered the body and whether any complications have arisen.

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Reasons for swallowing

The results of statistical studies indicate that every year millions of children find foreign objects in their gastrointestinal tract. How do they get into the body of babies? Did your child swallow a small plastic part? What to do? Why do such situations arise? Kids are inquisitive, they want to taste everything they can get their hands on. They do this sometimes and absolutely by accident during the game. Attention! Parents should keep needles, medicines, and sharp objects away from their children, seal toys with batteries with tape, and do not give children under three years of age toys that the child can disassemble into individual elements.

Let's sum it up

What should parents do if their baby swallows a foreign object while playing? Without wasting a single second, you need to call an ambulance. If the baby’s condition is satisfactory, parents can take him to a medical facility themselves to save precious time. Pediatricians do not recommend that mothers and fathers take out the object on their own, armed with improvised means, for example, tweezers or a clamp. Such manipulations can damage the baby’s organs and cause even greater harm to his health.

Health to you and your children, dear readers and subscribers!

Consequences

If parents do not consult a doctor in a timely manner, a foreign object found in a child’s body can lead to a number of negative consequences: intestinal obstruction, internal bleeding, and death. If your baby has swallowed small plastic parts, there is no cause for special concern. Polymer substances are resistant to gastric juice; they retain their properties when temperature changes. Small plastic parts from the designer do not oxidize and do not emit toxic substances. A serious problem will only arise in situations where the part has a complex shape (sharp corners), since when it moves through the intestines, the mucous membrane will be irritated, and the intestinal tube may spasm. In some cases, there is a threat to the child’s life due to the development of acute intestinal obstruction; without emergency medical care, death is possible.

Clinical manifestations

Intestinal obstruction, which occurs when a child swallows foreign parts, can cause organ perforation. If an object ends up in the windpipe, a serious condition occurs, which is associated with blockage of the larynx. The child begins to choke, and if help is not provided in a timely manner, the baby may die. There is a certain set of symptoms that cannot be confused with other situations: severe coughing attacks, blue or pale face, excessive salivation. If a small object ends up in the digestive system, pathological manifestations may not occur. The baby maintains his usual activity, there are no alarming signals in his behavior. The foreign object will leave the body naturally without causing serious problems to the baby.

What do children swallow most often?

All objects that may end up in the gastrointestinal tract of a small child are conventionally divided into two groups: dangerous and non-hazardous to health. The first group includes:

metal products (coins, batteries, magnets, foil, screws, balls, nails);

long or sharp objects (paper clips, wooden toothpicks, fish bones, glass, nails);

poisonous and toxic substances.

Some foreign bodies do not pose a direct danger. Such items include fruit pits, plastic parts, and a lost tooth.

Non-hazardous foreign objects are:

pits from plums, cherries, peaches, chewing gum; rubber and polymer objects (beads, buttons, cellophane);

building materials (silica gel, polyurethane foam);

hair, teeth;

other products (cotton wool, threads, hair bands).

Qualified help

If a child has swallowed a plastic part of a toy, which can pose a real danger to him, he must be hospitalized. In the hospital, using an X-ray or ultrasound examination, a specialist will identify the place where the part is “stuck”. If a small object gets into the stomach, it can be eliminated after research. If a foreign part gets into the bronchi, the doctor will work under anesthesia, since his manipulations can cause pain in the baby. In order to prevent infection of the bronchi and lungs, the doctor may additionally prescribe a course of antibiotics.

The exact location of a foreign object in the body can only be determined through research.

Sequence of parental actions

The main symptom indicating that a small child has swallowed a plastic part with sharp edges is difficulty breathing. How should parents behave in such situations? We offer an algorithm of simple actions, the observance of which will allow you to provide first aid to the baby. So, your child has swallowed a plastic part, what should you do? The maximum danger to the baby is posed by any foreign parts found in the trachea or respiratory tract. What should adults do in such situations:

1. You need to carefully throw the child over your left knee. The baby's head should be down.

2. You need to pat his back, between the shoulder blades.

3. It is advisable to induce an emetic effect by pressing on the root of the tongue.

Parents should understand how dangerous small parts can be for their child and should not allow the baby to come into direct contact with them.

Not all mothers and fathers know what to do. A child swallows a plastic part, suffocates, and adults often simply panic. But you cannot hesitate for a minute, as the baby may be in serious danger. If you wait until the foreign object leaves the body on its own, there is likely to be a serious threat to the child’s life. Parents, seeing that the baby’s behavior has changed, should try to find out the cause of coughing, wheezing, and changes in complexion. If the child is not provided with qualified assistance in a timely manner, sad consequences will be inevitable. Swallowing a small piece from a children's construction set can only be harmless if it is of the correct shape and small in size. Otherwise the situation could be serious. If a child swallows a sharp plastic part, as it passes through the gastrointestinal tract, it can injure internal organs, promote inflammation, and provoke bleeding. Only if you consult a doctor immediately can you count on maintaining your baby’s health.