Foreign objects swallowed by the body pose risks for both children and adults, with a spike during New Year celebrations.
Researchers note that the holiday period sees more incidents of ingesting foreign bodies. In adults, alcohol can slow reflexes and push people to swallow objects for courage. There is documentation of a person under the influence breaking a glass and swallowing a shard. With children, the New Year rush often brings an accidental ingestion as well as objects becoming lodged in the nose or ear, sometimes forgotten afterward. Parents must monitor alcohol consumption to reduce these risks, according to a physician from Ryazan State Medical University polyclinic.
The highest impact is on young children who may not only swallow items but also breathe them in or hide them in their nose or ear, leading to the need for urgent medical care. This behavior can resemble a cognitive testing process for kids. It falls to caregivers to prevent the painful realities of endoscopy or surgery for a child before it is absolutely necessary.
Foreign bodies in the upper respiratory tract are most common in children under five, often resulting from inadequate adult supervision. A child might explore by mouth and then exhale, allowing a foreign object to reach the larynx or trachea, making immediate intervention crucial. A recent case recalled by Anna Tishanskaya, an otolaryngologist-surgeon and founder of a clinic in Novorossiysk, involved a boy who coughed up something black that adults initially mistook for beads. It turned out to be a tire fragment from a toy car, highlighting how easily small objects can enter a child’s nose.
Stories can sound alarming, but most end with reassurance. One three-year-old presented with ear discomfort that initially worried doctors about a tumor, prompting a CT scan. The true cause appeared only when a clinician inspected the ear and found a piece of foam that others had missed, underscoring the importance of careful examination.
Batteries constitute a particularly dangerous category for children. Young ones swallow toy parts, magnets, and lithium batteries, which can burn the gastrointestinal lining or cause more serious damage. To minimize risk, it is advised to use certified toys appropriate for a child’s age and to keep dangerous items out of reach.
Fathers and Sons
Even adults can misplace objects in the body, often without realizing it. In some cases, swallowed items linger with minimal or no symptoms for long periods. A patient once swallowed a small prosthetic fragment and lived with it for eighteen months in the gastrointestinal tract without obvious signs. If there is no natural passage within two to four days, medical consultation is recommended.
There are also intentional ingestions, such as an incident where a prisoner swallowed numerous hooks to provoke a response. Removal required surgical intervention to extract the hooked material. Some situations arise from everyday tasks: during sewing or construction, sharp tools held in the mouth can cause severe injury, and unusual accidents can occur when a blunt end of a utensil is used to scratch the throat, causing a foreign body to lodge in the stomach, necessitating surgery. The takeaway is clear: eating should be a calm activity, with thorough chewing and careful handling of bones and teeth. Proper eating habits help prevent such incidents.
There are occasional involuntary cases, such as during dental work when filling material may escape into the sinuses. Since the maxillary sinuses lie near the upper jaw, a torn mucous membrane can allow material to travel into those spaces. A careful dentist using X-rays can typically prevent this complication, but it remains a reminder that dental procedures carry potential risk when proper techniques are not followed.