Volume 205 - Issue 11
A not so safe safety pin!
Author: Satvinder S Bakshi
Med J Aust 2016; 205 (11): 498. || doi: 10.5694/mja16.01065
Published online: 12 December 2016
Published online: 12 December 2016
n/a
A 3-year-old child presented with symptoms of dysphagia and drooling of saliva for 3 hours. The child was stable and video laryngoscopic examination was normal. The x-ray of the neck revealed a radio opaque foreign body in the food passage, which was consistent with an open safety pin (Box). The safety pin was successfully removed by rigid oesophagoscopy under general anaesthesia. Foreign body ingestion is one of the most common emergencies encountered in children1 and should always be suspected in a child with sudden onset of unexplained dysphagia.2
References
- Golz A, Netzer A, Gordin A, et al. Safe extraction of an impacted open safety pin from the esophagus: report of 9 cases. Am J Otolaryngol 2006; 27:413-417.
- Dereci S, Koca T, Serdaroğlu F, Akçam M. Foreign body ingestion in children. Turk Pediatri Ars 2015; 50: 234-240.