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Magill forceps technique for removal of safety pins in upper esophagus: a preliminary report
Ayşe Karaman1, Y Hakan Cavuşoğlu, Ibrahim Karaman
1Department of Pediatric Surgery, Dr. Sami Ulus Children's Hospital, Koyluler Sokak, 15/2 Cebeci, Ankara 06590, Turkey.
Insights
Magill forceps offer a safe and minimally invasive method for removing upper esophageal safety pins in children. This technique proved effective, presenting a viable alternative to rigid esophagoscopy.
Area of Science:
- Pediatric Gastroenterology
- Otolaryngology
- Medical Devices
Background:
- Foreign body ingestion is common in children, with safety pins being a less frequently reported object.
- The upper esophagus is a potential site for foreign body impaction.
Purpose of the Study:
- To evaluate the efficacy of Magill forceps for extracting safety pins from the upper esophagus in pediatric patients.
- To compare Magill forceps removal with other methods for upper esophageal foreign bodies.
Main Methods:
- A retrospective chart review identified 58 children with safety pin ingestion between 1995 and 2003.
- Magill forceps removal under general anesthesia was attempted for safety pins located in the upper esophagus (12 cases).
Main Results:
- Successful removal of upper esophageal safety pins using Magill forceps was achieved in 7 out of 12 pediatric patients.
- No complications were reported in cases managed with Magill forceps or subsequent rigid esophagoscopy for the remaining 5 patients.
Conclusions:
- Magill forceps represent a safe and minimally invasive approach for removing upper esophageal safety pins in children.
- This technique may be preferable to rigid esophagoscopy in select cases.
Objective:
Foreign body ingestion is not an uncommon problem in children. Children can ingest various foreign objects. One of such objects is safety pin, which is not widely reported in the literature. The purpose of this study is to consider the efficacy of Magill forceps for removal of safety pins from upper esophagus.
Methods:
A retrospective chart review was conducted for all children admitted to our hospital with safety pin ingestion from 1995 to 2003. In 58 children who had been found to ingest safety pin, the attachment site was gastrointestinal tract. In 12 of the cases, safety pins were located in the upper end of the esophagus. In seven of the children safety pin extraction was achieved by using a Magill forceps with the assistance of a laryngoscope maintaining general anesthesia with mask inhalation.
Results:
Safety pins were successfully removed with Magill forceps without any complications in seven patients whom they were located in the upper esophagus. Upper esophageal safety pins in the other five patients were extracted with rigid esophagoscopy for they were not seen under direct laryngoscopy. There were no complications.
Conclusions:
This is a preliminary report, but we believe that the Magill forceps technique for the removal of safety pin in the upper end of the esophagus is safe and minimally invasive method compared to rigid esophagoscopy.
