Trends and Outcomes of Foreign-Body Ingestion: National Emergency Department Data Over a Decade

Foreign-body ingestion is a common clinical emergency, accounting for 120,000 yearly in the United States, yet data on object prevalence and outcomes remain limited. To address this gap, we evaluated national trends in ingested objects by type, year, and disposition.

The National Electronic Injury Surveillance System (NEISS) was queried for pediatric (≤ 17 years) and adult (≥ 18 years) foreign-body ingestion events from 2014 to 2023, excluding medication, drug, and poisoning cases. In this retrospective cross-sectional study, descriptive analyses were performed in R 4.4.2, with trends assessed using linear regression, logistic regression, and chi-square or Fisher's exact tests.

From 2014 to 2023, 34,406 ingestion events corresponded to an estimated 904,234 US cases; pediatrics accounted for 90.5% (median age 3 years). Adults most commonly ingested jewelry (9.8%), batteries (7.4%), and nails/screws/thumbtacks (NST; 7.3%), while children ingested coins (39.3%), batteries (9.6%), and jewelry (5.9%). Over 10 years, adult ingestion events rose from 8658 to 19,524 (p < 0.001), while pediatric events rose from 74,448 to 90,494 (p = 0.06). Adults had higher hospitalization rates (19.5% vs. 11.9%; p < 0.05). Among the three most common adult ingestions, hospitalization was most likely for batteries (OR = 8.6; p < 0.001) and NST (OR = 5.9; p < 0.001) compared to jewelry. In children, hospitalization was more likely for coins (OR = 0.34; p < 0.001) compared to jewelry.

From 2014 to 2023, ingestion events increased for adults and children. Jewelry, batteries, and NST were common in both groups, but disposition differed, underscoring the need for targeted prevention strategies based on age and product.