Management of Magnet Ingestions at a Large Tertiary Care Children's Hospital

To review the clinical management and outcomes of magnet ingestions at a large tertiary children's hospital. To determine the association of frequency of high-powered magnet ingestion with the regulation of these magnets.

Children <18 years who presented to the emergency room and were admitted to the Children's Hospital of Philadelphia for ingestion of single or multiple magnets from January 2008 to December 2020 were included. Demographics, symptoms, management, and outcomes were analyzed. The frequency of magnet ingestion was compared over 3 eras: (1) pre-ban (2008-2012), (2) intra-ban (2013-2016), and (3) post-ban (2017-2020).

There were 167 magnet ingestions, including 99 with multiple magnets. Most patients (59%) were male and median age was 6 (interquartile range, 3-9) years. Most single magnet ingestions (86%) were discharged with outpatient monitoring, and none experienced severe outcomes. Multiple magnet ingestions led to significant morbidity including hospitalizations (68%), endoscopic procedures (48%), surgical procedures (14%), and severe outcomes (12%). Most patients (75%) were asymptomatic, however, there was a higher risk of surgery and severe complications based on the presence of symptoms ( P = 0.003). The rate of surgical intervention was higher with ≥3 magnets (31.7%) compared to 2 magnets (2.4%) ( P < 0.003). Additionally, we found an 160% increase in children with magnet ingestions in the post-ban period ( P = 0.021).

Multiple magnet ingestion is associated with high morbidity and rate of severe outcomes. There is a relationship between public policy of magnet sale and frequency of magnet ingestion.