About this topic
Foreign body ingestion is when your child puts something other than food in their mouth and swallows it. Children between 6 months and 3 years of age are most likely to swallow things that are not food. Some children swallow coins, small toys, or rocks. Others swallow things like marbles or pins. Small magnets or button batteries are very dangerous when a child swallows them. Many times, an adult does not see the child swallow the object. The child may or may not show any signs of having swallowed something. Swallowing some objects can cause serious problems. ‚
What care is needed at home?
Ask your doctor what you need to do when you go home. Make sure you ask questions if you do not understand what the doctor says. This way you will know what you need to do to care for your child. ‚
Most foreign bodies that are swallowed pass through the GI tract without causing harm and are passed in the stool. Children who have a foreign body removed by a doctor do not often need more workup or care. ‚
What follow-up care is needed?
The doctor may ask you to make visits to the office to check on your childs progress. Be sure to keep these visits. Sometimes the doctor will order repeat x-rays of your child's chest or belly to see if the foreign body has moved. ‚
What problems could happen?
- Trouble swallowing
- Bad belly pain
- Blockage of the intestines
- Infection
- Poor blood flow to the GI tract. This may happen if more than one magnet was swallowed.
- Hole in GI tract
- GI tract scarring
What can be done to prevent this health problem?
- Keep all small objects out of your childs reach.
- Teach your child not to put foreign objects into the mouth.
- Be careful with button batteries and small magnets. They are often found in children's toys. Store and get rid of them out of reach of your child.
When do I need to call the doctor?
- Signs of infection. These include a fever of 100.4 ‚ °F (38 ‚ °C) or higher, very bad sore throat, cough.
- Your child is not feeling better in 2 to 3 days or is feeling worse
Teach Back: Helping You Understand
The Teach Back Method helps you understand the information we are giving you about your child. The idea is simple. After talking with the staff, tell them in your own words what you were just told. This helps to make sure the staff has covered each thing clearly. It also helps to explain things that may have been a bit confusing. Before going home, make sure you are able to do these: ‚
- I can tell you about my childs condition.
- I can tell you what was done for my child and if I need to watch for the object to pass in my child's stool.
- I can tell you how I will take extra care to prevent this from happening in the future.
- I can tell you what I will do if my child has a fever, a bad sore throat, or cough.
Where can I learn more?
American Academy of Pediatrics ‚
http://www.healthychildren.org/English/health-issues/injuries-emergencies/Pages/Choking-Prevention.aspx ‚
Better Health Channel ‚
http://www.betterhealth.vic.gov.au/bhcv2/bhcarticles.nsf/pages/Toddlers_and_choking ‚
KidsHealth ‚
http://kidshealth.org/parent/firstaid_safe/home/safety_choking.html ‚
Consumer Information Use and Disclaimer
This information is not specific medical advice and does not replace information you receive from your health care provider. This is only a brief summary of general information. It does NOT include all information about conditions, illnesses, injuries, tests, procedures, treatments, therapies, discharge instructions or life-style choices that may apply to you. You must talk with your health care provider for complete information about your health and treatment options. This information should not be used to decide whether or not to accept your health care providers advice, instructions or recommendations. Only your health care provider has the knowledge and training to provide advice that is right for you. ‚
Copyright
Copyright ‚ © 2015 Clinical Drug Information, LLC and Lexi-Comp, Inc. ‚