Management of foreign bodies in the upper gastrointestinal tract

Records of 55 consecutive patients who had ingested foreign bodies were reviewed retrospectively. Foreign bodies were located in the esophagus, stomach and duodenum in 25, 27 and 3 patients respectively. Eleven of these passed through the entire gastrointestinal tract spontaneously and uneventfully. Endoscopic extraction was successful in 36 patients while 8 needed surgical removal of the ingested object. Only one death was encountered. We conclude that using simple guidelines, foreign body ingestion can be managed with a low incidence of complications and mortality.