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Two Year Old With Water Bead Ingestion.
Jami Jackson1, Kimberly A Randell, Jane F Knapp
1From the Children's Mercy Hospital and Clinics, Kansas City, MO.
Pediatric Emergency Care
|August 5, 2015
Summary
Superabsorbent water beads can cause pediatric intestinal obstruction. Nonsurgical management with whole bowel irrigation successfully treated an asymptomatic child who ingested many beads, offering a new approach.
Area of Science:
- Pediatric Gastroenterology
- Toxicology
Background:
- Foreign body ingestion is frequent in children.
- Superabsorbent water beads pose a risk for intestinal obstruction, as seen in prior surgical cases.
- Management of multiple water bead ingestion is not well-established.
Purpose of the Study:
- To describe the nonsurgical management of a child with multiple superabsorbent water bead ingestion.
- To highlight whole bowel irrigation as a potential treatment for asymptomatic cases.
Main Methods:
- A case report of an asymptomatic child ingesting approximately 100 superabsorbent water beads.
- Admission for observation and whole bowel irrigation.
Main Results:
- The child remained asymptomatic throughout the management.
- Whole bowel irrigation was successfully performed without complications.
- This represents the first reported case of whole bowel irrigation for multiple superabsorbent water bead ingestion in an asymptomatic child.
Conclusions:
- Whole bowel irrigation can be a safe and effective nonsurgical option for asymptomatic pediatric patients with significant superabsorbent water bead ingestion.
- This approach may prevent the need for surgical intervention in select cases.