Citation

Paul SP, Irwin AC, Heaton PAJ. J. Fam. Health 2015; 25(2): 16-19.

Copyright

(Copyright © 2015, Pavilion Publishing)

DOI

unavailable

PMID

unavailable

Abstract

Foreign body (FB) ingestion in young children is a common presentation to emergency departments around the world. As infants begin to explore their surroundings, use of hand-to- mouth activity increases and it is not surprising that FB ingestion peaks between six months and three years of age (Uyemura, 2005; McConnell, 2013). Older children may also ingest FBs accidentally, though sometimes with an intent to deliberately self-harm. Accidental ingestions are also seen in the elderly population where FBs such as button batteries and (toy magnets) can be swallowed mistakenly as pills or tablets (NHS England, 2014). In young children the most commonly ingested FBs are objects that are shiny, small and easy to grasp, such as coins. However other commonly swallowed objects seen in clinical practice include screws, nails and safety pins, with magnets and button batteries in particular being dangerous to children (Paul et al, 2013; Kirkham et al, 2015). Table 1 highlights the common signs and symptoms of FB ingestion in children. It is estimated that as many as 40% of FB ingestions remain unwitnessed and most of these pass through the gastrointestinal tract without any symptoms, but in a small number of cases severe complications, including death, can occur (Uyemura, 2005; Paul et al, 2010). This article focuses on two dangerous objects which can cause severe complications when swallowed: button batteries and small powerful toy magnets. It aims to raise awareness amongst community practitioners of this fast- increasing problem and provide up-to-date knowledge as to how to manage these dangerous ingestions.


Magnets

Magnet ingestion has increased significantly over recent years. This is because of the increased availability of very small neodymium-iron-boron magnets, up to 20 times more powerful than traditional ferrite magnets, which may be sold as toys or entertainment games for children and adults (Kirkham et al 2015; Abbas et al 2013). A study by Abbas et al (2013) found that the incidence of emergency department visits related to magnet ingestion in children has increased exponentially in the US, as evident from a survey amongst the NASPGHAN members in 2012 who noted that 320 of all 481 cases of magnet ingestions (almost 75% of total cases) reported between 2002 and 2011 had occurred in the most recent three years (Abbas et al, 2013). The National Electronic Injury Surveillance System in the US identified an increase in incidence of all magnet ingestions in children between 2002 and 2011, from 0.57 cases per 100,000 children per year in 2002-3 to a peak in 2010-11 of 3.06 cases per 100,000 children per year (Silverman et al, 2013). An increase in ingestion of multiple magnets in particular was noted increasingly from 2007 onwards (Silverman et al, 2013). A similar trend was also reported by Brown et al (2013) with 56 cases of magnet ingestion; 98% occurred in 2006 or later, and 57% involving multiple magnets. In the US this alarming rate of increase, tracked to the widespread sale and promotion of small magnets as toys, required public health and legislative intervention to reduce accidental ingestions and their associated complications (Bousvaros et al, 2013). Also in Canada, between 2002 and 2009, there has been a threefold increased incidence...

Keywords: Multiple magnet ingestion

Language: en