Factors Associated with Spontaneous Passage of Ingested Foreign Body in Children: A Prospective Observational Study

Aim: To identify factors associated with the spontaneous passage of ingested foreign bodies. Methods: A prospective observational cohort study was conducted at a tertiary pediatric surgery center from July 2022 to March 2024. Management followed a standardized protocol, with follow-up period of over...

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Main Authors: Veerabhadra Radhakrishna, Raghunath Bangalore Vasudev, Bahubali Deepak Gadgade, Nitin Kumar, Alladi Anand, Mamatha Basavaraju, Raghu Sampalli Ramareddy, Venkatesh Kesarla Lakshmaiah
Format: Article
Language:English
Published: Wolters Kluwer Medknow Publications 2025-03-01
Series:Journal of Indian Association of Pediatric Surgeons
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Online Access:https://journals.lww.com/10.4103/jiaps.jiaps_265_24
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Summary:Aim: To identify factors associated with the spontaneous passage of ingested foreign bodies. Methods: A prospective observational cohort study was conducted at a tertiary pediatric surgery center from July 2022 to March 2024. Management followed a standardized protocol, with follow-up period of over 6 months. Results: The study included 139 children with a mean age of 6.9 years, and 53% of them were boys. Blunt objects, mainly coins, were the most frequently ingested (60%). Most children (88%) were asymptomatic, but 9% reported abdominal pain, particularly with sharp object ingestion (P = 0.006). Spontaneous passage occurred in most cases, with a mean transit time of 119 ± 105 h. Sharp objects passed faster than blunt ones (87 ± 60 h vs. 141 ± 122 h; P = 0.01). Delayed passage was associated with larger object diameter, constipation, and significant colon loading on X-ray. The optimal cutoff diameter predicting a transit time over 72 h for blunt objects was 1.75 cm. Nine children required intervention, and no long-term complications were observed. Conclusion: Most ingested foreign bodies pass spontaneously without complications. Sharp objects transit faster than blunt objects, and transit time is influenced by object size, constipation, and colon loading.
ISSN:0971-9261
1998-3891