ABSTRACT
Foreign body ingestion is a common condition in clinical practice, thankfully most of the cases do not require any surgery as most foreign bodies can pass through the bowel without injuring it. Treatment depends on the size and kind of foreign bodies. When complications arise, patients may require urgent medical attention. Self-harm by sharp foreign body ingestion is a rare event that must always be promptly treated and should always be prevented. Psychiatric patients and inmates are the most affected population. A high index of suspicion is required to treat this rare condition, which may be preventable if there is adequate mental and medical therapy along with close monitoring and family support. We present the case of a 31-year-old psychiatric patient. After prompt treatment, two razor blades were surgically removed from her intestines. She fully recovered and is doing well on follow-up controls.
ABSTRACT
Bowel perforation due to inadvertent ingestion of foreign objects is, fortunately, a rare event. However, it can lead to deadly complications when it occurs. Thin, sharp and pointed objects like toothpicks are more likely to pierce the bowel wall. Diagnosing toothpick ingestion and perforation is difficult since most patients do not recall swallowing the toothpick, symptoms and physical examinations are nonspecific, the symptoms can resemble many abdominal pathologies, and since a toothpick has a radiolucent nature that makes it difficult to detect through X-ray imaging. Due to this, most of the cases are identified during the transoperative period. We present the case of a 27-year-old male who presented with symptoms clinically indistinguishable from acute appendicitis. During surgery, two toothpicks were discovered that compromised the cecum and the appendix. After successful removal of the foreign objects, the patient underwent a full recovery.
