eMedicine Specialties > Pediatrics: General Medicine > Gastroenterology

Gastrointestinal Foreign Bodies: Follow-up

Author: John A Sandoval, MD, Fellow, Pediatric Surgery, University of Colorado School of Medicine
Coauthor(s): Frederick Merrill Karrer, MD, The David R and Kiku Akers Chair in Pediatric Surgery, The Children's Hospital; Head, Division of Pediatric Surgery, Professor of Surgery and Pediatrics, University of Colorado School of Medicine; Casey M Calkins, MD, Assistant Professor of Surgery, Division of Pediatric Surgery, Department of Pediatric Surgery, Medical College of Wisconsin; Consulting Staff, Children's Hospital of Wisconsin
Contributor Information and Disclosures

Updated: Mar 3, 2009

Outcome and Prognosis

After an esophageal foreign body is removed, children with uncomplicated courses need not undergo further evaluation. A healthy child with repeated foreign body impaction or impaction at an unusual site should be evaluated for an underlying esophageal or GI motility disorder or anatomic abnormality. The usual outcome of foreign body ingestions is uneventful passage. Most children who require foreign body removal via an intervention experience no untoward consequences.

For excellent patient education resources, visit eMedicine's Esophagus, Stomach, and Intestine Center. Also, see eMedicine's patient education articles Swallowed Object and Abdominal Pain in Children.

Future and Controversies

General agreement supports the emergent extraction of foreign bodies lodged in the esophagus. Less consistent practice are policies for objects that have reached the stomach. Some foreign bodies pass on their own, and many have adopted a "waiting policy" in such cases.19 Which approach should be adopted depends on clinical status, the nature and number of objects ingested, as well as the location and transit time (most foreign bodies should be expelled within 4-6 d).

 
Acknowledgments

The authors and editors of eMedicine gratefully acknowledge the contributions of previous authors Casey M Calkins, MD and Denis Bensard, MD, to the original writing and development of this article.



More on Gastrointestinal Foreign Bodies

Overview: Gastrointestinal Foreign Bodies
Workup: Gastrointestinal Foreign Bodies
Treatment: Gastrointestinal Foreign Bodies
Follow-up: Gastrointestinal Foreign Bodies
Multimedia: Gastrointestinal Foreign Bodies
References
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References

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Further Reading

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Keywords

gastrointestinal foreign bodies, GI foreign body, esophageal foreign body, rectal foreign body, esophageal coin, bezoars, foreign body removal, foreign body ingestion, swallow foreign body, swallow coin, swallow object, choking, gagging, drooling, coughing, wheezing, dysphagia, dyspnea, dysphonia, fever, hematochezia, trichobezoar, phytobezoar, rectal pain, pruritus

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Contributor Information and Disclosures

Author

John A Sandoval, MD, Fellow, Pediatric Surgery, University of Colorado School of Medicine
John A Sandoval, MD is a member of the following medical societies: American Association for Cancer Research, American College of Surgeons, Association for Academic Surgery, and Surgical Infection Society
Disclosure: Nothing to disclose.

Coauthor(s)

Frederick Merrill Karrer, MD, The David R and Kiku Akers Chair in Pediatric Surgery, The Children's Hospital; Head, Division of Pediatric Surgery, Professor of Surgery and Pediatrics, University of Colorado School of Medicine
Frederick Merrill Karrer, MD is a member of the following medical societies: American Academy of Pediatrics, American College of Surgeons, American Medical Association, American Pediatric Surgical Association, American Society of Transplant Surgeons, and Western Surgical Association
Disclosure: Nothing to disclose.

Casey M Calkins, MD, Assistant Professor of Surgery, Division of Pediatric Surgery, Department of Pediatric Surgery, Medical College of Wisconsin; Consulting Staff, Children's Hospital of Wisconsin
Casey M Calkins, MD is a member of the following medical societies: American Academy of Pediatrics, American College of Surgeons, and American Pediatric Surgical Association
Disclosure: Nothing to disclose.

Medical Editor

Jayant Deodhar, MD, Associate Professor in Pediatrics, BJ Medical College, India; Honorary Consultant, Departments of Pediatrics and Neonatology, King Edward Memorial Hospital, India
Disclosure: Nothing to disclose.

Pharmacy Editor

Mary L Windle, PharmD, Adjunct Assistant Professor, University of Nebraska Medical Center College of Pharmacy, Pharmacy Editor, eMedicine
Disclosure: Pfizer Inc Stock Investment from financial planner; Avanir Pharma Stock Investment from financial planner ; WebMD Salary and stock Employment and investment from financial planner

Managing Editor

B U K Li, MD, Professor of Pediatrics, Division of Gastroenterology, Hepatology and Nutrition, Director, Pediatric Fellowships and Gastroenterology Fellowship, Medical Director, Functional Gastrointestinal Disorders and Cyclic Vomiting Program, Medical College of Wisconsin; Attending Gastroenterologist, Children's Hospital of Wisconsin
B U K Li, MD is a member of the following medical societies: Alpha Omega Alpha, American Gastroenterological Association, and North American Society for Pediatric Gastroenterology and Nutrition
Disclosure: Nothing to disclose.

CME Editor

Steven M Schwarz, MD, FAAP, FACN, AGAF, Professor of Pediatrics, State University of New York, Downstate Medical Center College of Medicine; Distinguished Lecturer, New York Medical College, School of Public Health
Steven M Schwarz, MD, FAAP, FACN, AGAF is a member of the following medical societies: American Academy of Pediatrics, American College of Nutrition, American College of Physician Executives, American Gastroenterological Association, American Pediatric Society, Gastroenterology Research Group, New York Academy of Medicine, North American Society for Pediatric Gastroenterology and Nutrition, and Society for Pediatric Research
Disclosure: TAP Pharmaceuticals Honoraria Speaking and teaching; Curemark, LLC Consulting fee Board membership

Chief Editor

Carmen Cuffari, MD, Associate Professor, Department of Pediatrics, Division of Gastroenterology/Nutrition, Johns Hopkins University School of Medicine
Carmen Cuffari, MD is a member of the following medical societies: American College of Gastroenterology, American Gastroenterological Association, North American Society for Pediatric Gastroenterology, Hepatology and Nutrition, and Royal College of Physicians and Surgeons of Canada
Disclosure: Nothing to disclose.

 
 
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