A Complicated Case of Foreign Body Oesophagus in an Infant

Abstract

Ingestion of foreign bodies is common primarily in children, psychiatric patients, alcoholics and elderly people who use dentures. Selivanov et al. reported that, in most cases of foreign body ingestion, the most common foreign bodies ingested were coins, bones, food debris, safety pins and razor blades. Rarity, technical difficulty in removing the foreign body, complications associated with the delay in diagnosis and treatment, migration of the foreign body extraluminally, site, shape and position of the sharp end of a safety pin makes this case  interesting and worth reporting. We are reporting a case of a one year child presenting to us with accidental ingestion of a safety pin. The case was difficult because the protected end of the safety pin was broken which made both the ends of the foreign body sharp. Also, the ends of safety pin were wide apart and pointing upwards.