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Updated: May 12, 2026

Handheld Metal Detector Screening for Metallic Foreign Body Ingestion in Children
04:55

Handheld Metal Detector Screening for Metallic Foreign Body Ingestion in Children

Published on: September 11, 2018

Swallowed magnets and batteries: a dangerous but not unexpected attraction

Warwick Jonathan Teague1, Elizabeth Mary Vaughan, Merrill McHoney

  • 1Department of General Surgery, Royal Hospital for Sick Children Edinburgh, Edinburgh, UK.

BMJ Case Reports
|April 13, 2013
PubMed

Insights

Ingesting multiple magnetic objects can lead to serious complications like fistulas, even without immediate symptoms. Prompt inpatient evaluation and surgical removal are crucial for children swallowing more than one magnet.

Area of Science:

  • Pediatric Surgery
  • Gastroenterology
  • Medical Imaging

Background:

  • Swallowing foreign bodies is common in children.
  • Multiple ingested magnets pose unique risks due to magnetic attraction.
  • Delayed diagnosis can lead to severe gastrointestinal complications.

Purpose of the Study:

  • To highlight the risks of delayed management for children ingesting multiple magnetic objects.
  • To emphasize the potential for serious complications, such as jejunocolic fistula.
  • To recommend appropriate management strategies for such cases.

Main Methods:

  • Case report of an 18-month-old boy who swallowed multiple magnetic balls, a watch battery, and a screw.
  • Initial outpatient management with serial X-rays.
  • Delayed inpatient surgical intervention (laparotomy) after 9 days.

Main Results:

  • A jejunocolic fistula was confirmed during emergency laparotomy.
  • The child had no initial signs of gastrointestinal distress.
  • Outpatient management proved unsuccessful, leading to delayed surgical care.

Conclusions:

  • Clinical assessment alone can be misleading in cases of multiple magnet ingestion.
  • Outpatient management of multiple magnetic foreign bodies is potentially dangerous.
  • Inpatient management with active observation and timely removal is recommended for children ingesting multiple magnetic objects.

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