Non-surgical Management of a Malecot Tube Migrating From a Small Bowel Fistula

Foreign bodies are encountered relatively often within the practice of general surgery. We present a unique case of a rubber, self-retaining, radiopaque "mushroom-tip" Malecot tube placed for fistula drainage control due to an enterocutaneous fistula (ECF) that became a gastrointestinal foreign body.  A 24-year-old male presented in shock with gunshot wounds to his right chest and right upper abdomen to a Level I trauma center. He required a prolonged hospital stay with additional urological and thoracic procedures and an interventional radiology procedure for hepatic pseudoaneurysm and subsequently developed an ECF. The patient was discharged to a rehabilitation facility with a wound management system (WMS) for ECF drainage but returned to the clinic with chemical burns and skin excoriation due to poorly controlled output and suboptimal WMS fit. A better fitting WMS was employed and a 20-French Malecot catheter was placed to assist with drainage control. The patient later returned with abdominal pain reporting the Malecot advanced forward spontaneously and was not externally visible. CT scan revealed the Malecot across the prior ileocolic anastomosis. After considering potential treatment options, we initially proceeded with aggressive bowel stimulation, and saline enemas hoping the tube would pass through his colostomy. He was discharged and the catheter passed at home a few days later via the stoma. Gastroenterological literature recommends invasive management for sharp, corrosive, or elongated foreign bodies exceeding 6cm in length. This unusual case demonstrates a 30-centimeter (cm) blunt object passing through the small bowel and colon in the absence of an ileocecal valve.