[Case report: swallowed hearing aid]

An 86-year-old man presented ambulatory with acute dysphagia. Radiologic examination and endoscopy revealed a swallowed postauricular hearing aid. The earmold of the hearing aid became visible in the hypopharynx after mucus and saliva were removed. It could be extracted without effort once the connecting tube was disconnected from the coupling device lodged in the upper esophageal sphincter. The hearing aid itself was impacted in the proximal esophagus and was extracted without any problems. The postoperative phase was uneventful with normal swallowing and discharge. Technical inspection revealed that the hearing aid no longer worked. Diffusion of toxic substances (zinc, mercury) from the impacted batteries is not to be expected.