Pediatric Foreign Body Ingestion - Expectations and Outcomes

BACKGROUND Lockdowns, travel restrictions, and homeschooling during the COVID-19 period contributed to an increased number of foreign bodies being swallowed by children. This single-center study was initiated to determine the incidence of foreign body ingestion in the pediatric age group during the 2-year period of COVID-19 and compare it with an earlier 3-year period in Saudi Arabia. METHODS Medical records and abdominal radiographs of children under 14 were reviewed for the history of foreign body ingestion. The frequency of foreign body ingestion, size, shape, type, and outcomes during the COVID-19 pandemic was compared with similar events in the 3 years before the COVID-19 pandemic from November 2016 to November 2019. RESULTS Of the n = 161 records, n = 86 cases were reported during the COVID-19 pandemic, and n = 75 in the pre-pandemic period. Most of the ingested foreign bodies were less than 2 cm in size (57.8%), with the prevalence of non-metallic objects (87.6%) and the outcome being spontaneous expulsion (83.2%). There was a significant association between spontaneous expulsion cases and the size of the objects (p = 0.001), number of objects (p = 0.0005), and shape (p = 0.01). An analysis of demographic data showed that more boys than girls were registered, with a predominance of children under the age of five. CONCLUSIONS Treating children who have swallowed foreign bodies require a multi-professional approach with the participation of physicians, nurses, poison control specialists, radiologic technologists, ambulance personnel, and others to provide continuous, child-friendly care and follow-up. Parents and caregivers should be aware of how to keep children away from small items that can be harmful if swallowed, especially coins, disc batteries, small magnets, and other high-risk items.