Managing a Complex Foreign Body: A Case Report of a Fork in the Upper Esophagus

Foreign bodies in the aerodigestive tract pose a clinical challenge that must be addressed both swiftly and judiciously. Characteristics specific to both individual patients and to individual types of foreign bodies must be taken into consideration when planning for foreign body removal.

To discuss a scenario in which multidisciplinary decision-making was employed to remove a foreign body both quickly and safely.

We present a case of an adolescent girl who presented with throat pain and inability to manage her secretions after unintentionally swallowing a fork, which became lodged in her proximal esophagus. The position of the tines of the fork made intubation impossible. The fork was removed using direct laryngoscopy while the patient maintained spontaneous respirations.

Complex decision-making, involving clinicians with expertise in various specialties, is often necessary to ensure a safe outcome. Careful planning and consideration of various details, specific to both foreign body characteristics and to patients themselves, are necessary to provide safe and efficient care for patients with foreign body ingestion.