Related Experiment Video

Updated: Dec 7, 2025

Milk Collection Methods for Mice and Reeves' Muntjac Deer
07:34

Milk Collection Methods for Mice and Reeves' Muntjac Deer

Published on: July 19, 2014

20.3K

The mule who took us for a ride

Islam El-Abbassy1, Benjamin Perakath2

  • 1ST General Surgery, Department of General Surgery, NHS Grampian, UK; Honorary Associate, Institute of Medical Sciences, University of Aberdeen, Aberdeen, UK.

The New Zealand Medical Journal
|September 30, 2020
PubMed

Insights

Foreign body ingestion, often linked to drug trafficking, can cause serious complications like bowel obstruction. This case highlights the need for prompt diagnosis and management of ingested packets, even when the patient denies intentional swallowing.

Area of Science:

  • Gastroenterology
  • Toxicology
  • Radiology

Background:

  • Foreign body ingestion is a known risk in individuals with substance abuse disorders and for illicit drug concealment.
  • Swallowing foreign objects can lead to esophageal, gastric, or intestinal impaction, necessitating medical intervention.

Observation:

  • A 37-year-old male with a history of drug abuse presented with dysphagia.
  • Endoscopy revealed an esophageal foreign body, which was pushed into the stomach due to extraction difficulties.
  • Radiographic and CT imaging confirmed a small bowel obstruction caused by the ingested packet in the terminal ileum.

Findings:

  • The ingested packet, suspected to be illicit drugs, caused a significant bowel obstruction three weeks after initial presentation.
  • Surgical intervention via enterotomy was required for the removal of the foreign body.
  • Endoscopic removal is preferred for esophageal foreign bodies, but surgical extraction may be necessary for complex cases or intestinal impaction.

Implications:

  • This case underscores the diagnostic challenges and potential complications associated with body packing, particularly in patients with a history of substance abuse.
  • Physicians should maintain a high index of suspicion for foreign body ingestion in patients presenting with obstructive symptoms, even with denial.
  • Multimodality imaging and timely surgical consultation are crucial for managing ingested foreign bodies that cause intestinal obstruction.

More Related Videos

Elevated Plus Maze for Mice09:09

Elevated Plus Maze for Mice

Published on: December 22, 2008

92.1K
Demonstrating the Uses of the Novel Gravitational Force Spectrometer to Stretch and Measure Fibrous Proteins13:51

Demonstrating the Uses of the Novel Gravitational Force Spectrometer to Stretch and Measure Fibrous Proteins

Published on: March 19, 2011

10.6K

Related Concept Videos

Routes of Persuasion02:20

Routes of Persuasion

Persuasion is the process of changing our attitude toward something based on some kind of communication. Much of the persuasion we experience comes from outside forces. How do people convince others to change their attitudes, beliefs, and behaviors? What communications do you receive that attempt to persuade you to change your attitudes, beliefs, and behaviors?
68.3K
Rolling Resistance01:21

Rolling Resistance

When a solid cylinder rolls steadily on a rigid surface, the normal force applied by the surface on the cylinder is perpendicular to the tangent at the contact point. However, since no materials are entirely rigid, the surface's reaction to the cylinder involves a range of normal pressures.
For instance, imagine a hard cylinder rolling on a comparatively soft surface. The cylinder's weight compresses the surface beneath it. As the cylinder moves, the material in front of it slows down due to...
506
Migration00:53

Migration

Migration is long-range, seasonal movement from one region or habitat to another. This common strategy, carried out by many different organisms around the world, is an adaptive response that typically corresponds to changes in an organism’s environment, like resource availability or climate. Migrations can involve huge groups of thousands of animals as well as single individuals traveling alone and can range from thousands of kilometers to just a few hundred meters.
8.6K
Otto and Diesel Cycle01:27

Otto and Diesel Cycle

An Otto engine is a four-stroke engine that uses a mixture of gasoline and air as the working fuel. The fuel is injected into the cylinder, and the piston is moved completely down so that the cylinder is at maximum volume. By moving the piston up, adiabatic compression takes place. The spark plug ignites the gasoline-air mixture, and the burning fuel adds heat to the system at a constant volume. The heated mixture expands adiabatically and gets further cooled by exhausting heat, and this cyclic...
3.0K
Short-distance Transport of Resources02:12

Short-distance Transport of Resources

Short-distance transport refers to transport that occurs over a distance of just 2-3 cells, crossing the plasma membrane in the process. Small uncharged molecules, such as oxygen, carbon dioxide, and water, can diffuse across the plasma membrane on their own. In contrast, ions and larger molecules require the assistance of transport proteins due to their charge or size. Transport across membranes also occurs within individual cells, playing a variety of essential roles for the plant as a whole.
17.2K
Milgram's Obedience to Authority02:20

Milgram's Obedience to Authority

Obedience to authority is classically demonstrated in a more famous series of social psychology experiments performed by Stanley Milgram. He was a social psychology professor at Yale who was influenced by the trial of Adolf Eichmann, a Nazi war criminal. Eichmann’s defense for the atrocities he committed was that he was “just following orders.”
7.0K