Jove
Visualize
Contact Us
JoVE
x logofacebook logolinkedin logoyoutube logo
ABOUT JoVE
OverviewLeadershipBlogJoVE Help Center
AUTHORS
Publishing ProcessEditorial BoardScope & PoliciesPeer ReviewFAQSubmit
LIBRARIANS
TestimonialsSubscriptionsAccessResourcesLibrary Advisory BoardFAQ
RESEARCH
JoVE JournalMethods CollectionsJoVE Encyclopedia of ExperimentsArchive
EDUCATION
JoVE CoreJoVE BusinessJoVE Science EducationJoVE Lab ManualFaculty Resource CenterFaculty Site
Terms & Conditions of Use
Privacy Policy
Policies

Related Experiment Videos

Pediatric "body packing".

Stephen J Traub1, Gary L Kohn, Robert S Hoffman

  • 1Department of Emergency Medicine, Beth Israel Deaconess Medical Center, One Deaconess Road, Boston, MA 02215, USA. straub@caregroup.harvard.edu

Archives of Pediatrics & Adolescent Medicine
|February 13, 2003
PubMed
Summary
This summary is machine-generated.

Related Concept Videos

You might also read

Related Articles

Articles linked to this work by shared authors, journal, and citation graph.

Sort by
Same author

Acute Copper Toxicity: Succimer Makes you Less Blue.

Journal of medical toxicology : official journal of the American College of Medical Toxicology·2026
Same author

A random forest analysis identifying important predictors and risk factors among those who reported use of methamphetamine during their last alcohol use: a national analysis between 2021-2023.

Journal of addictive diseases·2026
Same author

Characteristics and predictors of opioid administration or prescribing for emergency department visits related to neck sprain between 2016 and 2022: A random Forest analysis using National Data.

The American journal of emergency medicine·2026
Same author

Descriptive content analysis assessment of ChatGPT responses to substance use disorder treatment questions compared to National health guidelines.

Drug and alcohol dependence·2026
Same author

A systematic review on the risk of developing cancer and frequency of alcohol consumption behaviors in US adults.

Cancer epidemiology·2025
Same author

ACMT and AACT Position Statement: Preventing Occupational Opioid Exposure to Emergency Responders.

Journal of medical toxicology : official journal of the American College of Medical Toxicology·2025

Drug smugglers are increasingly using children as body packers, concealing contraband within their bodies. This report details two pediatric cases of heroin body packing, highlighting the need for clinical awareness of this dangerous trend.

Area of Science:

  • Forensic toxicology
  • Pediatric emergency medicine
  • Public health

Background:

  • Increased border security has led to more drug seizures.
  • Drug smugglers may exploit children as couriers, including body packing.
  • Body packing is well-documented in adults but less so in pediatric literature.

Observation:

  • Two pediatric cases of body packing involving male adolescents aged 16 and 12.
  • Patient 1 presented with opioid intoxication after international travel, confessing to body packing heroin.
  • Patient 2 presented with rectal bleeding after international travel, confessing to body packing heroin.

Findings:

  • Both patients successfully passed heroin packets after medical intervention.
  • Patient 1 passed 53 heroin packets; Patient 2 passed 84 heroin packets.

Related Experiment Videos

  • Both pediatric patients recovered uneventfully from the body packing incidents.

    • Implications:

    • This study reports the first documented cases of pediatric body packing.
    • Pediatricians must recognize body packing as a potential clinical presentation in children.
    • Body packing is a serious risk for children, necessitating increased awareness and diagnostic vigilance.