A Taichung doctor on Thursday advised parents to keep children away from small objects after he treated a five-year-old boy who swallowed a metal ornament.
The boy, surnamed Lee (李), early last month was on his back on the floor playing with a 3.5cm car-shaped ornament when he dropped it into his mouth, China Medical University Children’s Hospital physician Lin Ko-chien (林克鍵) said, adding that an X-ray scan confirmed that the object was in the boy’s stomach.
Doctors initially prescribed laxatives to help Lee expel the ornament naturally, but after a week it was determined that the ornament had become lodged in his intestines, requiring surgery to remove it, Lin said.
Photo copied by Tsai Shu-yuan, Taipei Times
The boy was sedated during the procedure and has fully recovered, Lin said.
Swallowing foreign objects is common among children aged six months to six years, with the most commonly swallowed objects being coins, he said.
In most cases, no symptoms are apparent if an object becomes lodged in the intestines, so parents should consult a physician if their child swallows something that they do not pass within a few days, he said.
A torn intestinal wall can occur in less than 1 percent of cases, he said.
In most cases, objects are passed within four to six days, but there have been cases where it took three to four weeks, he said.
If a child does not appear uncomfortable and their diet is not affected, they would be fine in most cases, he said.
However, it is difficult for children to expel objects longer than 3cm or round items with a diameter greater than 2cm, he said, adding that such cases commonly require surgery.
Cases that should be treated urgently include when a child swallows a sharp object, which could tear the intestinal wall; objects or liquids that are strongly acidic or alkaline, which could damage the mucous membrane in their digestive tract and narrow it through scarring; objects containing lead, which could cause poisoning; batteries, which contain corrosive material; and strongly magnetic objects, which could block or damage the intestines, Lin said.
In such cases, the child should be taken to an emergency room, he said.
Parents should keep small items out of reach of young children and should remain calm if items are swallowed, Lin said.
The first thing a parent should do if their child swallows something potentially harmful is to check that the they are breathing normally.
They should take a similar item or its packaging to the doctor if they seek medical help, he said.
Parents should not attempt to induce vomiting, which could cause more harm, and should use the Heimlich maneuver if breathing is obstructed, he said.
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