Recognition of foreign bodies in the upper gastrointestinal tract in children

The article was professionally approved by Master, Doctor Dang Huy Toan - Department of Pediatrics - Neonatology - Vinmec Nha Trang International General Hospital

A foreign body in the upper gastrointestinal tract in children is a condition in which the food passage from the throat to the stomach of the child is stuck by something. This is one of the most frequently encountered emergencies in the ear, nose and throat specialist in our country. In these cases of foreign body in the upper gastrointestinal tract, if not detected early and taken timely measures, it can lead to many risks, potentially seriously affecting the health and life of the patient. patient.

In fact, the main reason why we encounter a foreign body in the upper gastrointestinal tract in children comes from daily eating habits such as:
Due to unreasonable food processing, for example such as foods with bones, when processed, are cut too small or too large, making the dish easy to choke; While eating or laughing, talking, not focusing on chewing food, leading to swallowing bones without realizing it; Children often have a preference for small foreign bodies and accidental ingestion is also the cause of this condition. In addition to some of the above causes, esophageal stricture is also the reason for the occurrence of foreign bodies in the upper gastrointestinal tract. Normally, there will be 3 physiological narrowing places including:
Mouth of the esophagus about 15cm from the upper dental arch (CCRT) of adults; The transverse position of the aortic arch is about 27cm CCRT in adults and the left main bronchus crosses; The esophagus passes through the diaphragm or may even be its terminal point at the cardia. Moreover, there are a number of conditions of esophageal stricture that we may have such as: tumor, narrow scar, diverticulum, diverticulum, spasm..
According to clinical statistics, up to 80% above Total cases of foreign body in cervical esophagus, thoracic esophagus accounted for 12% and diaphragmatic segment accounted for only 8%.

Once infected with a foreign body in the gastrointestinal tract, the patient will begin to appear the following symptoms:
Symptoms in the early stages: There is no fever in the whole body, when swallowing, it feels stuck and painful, leading to difficulty in swallowing. Eating; The condition of the large foreign body will not be able to swallow the saliva but must continuously spit out; Detecting localized pain in the carotid trough area when examining, at this stage the esophagus is slightly skewed to the left, so the findings are more often found on the left side; Examination of the pharynx or indirect laryngoscopy may show a foreign body in this area; Blood test results show a slight increase in neutrophils when an infection occurs; X-ray results may show a foreign body in the cervical esophagus if contrast, thickening of the anterior cervical spine; The chest radiograph showed a metal foreign body in the thoracic esophagus. Symptoms in the complication stage: About 24 hours to 48 hours after the foreign body is infected, there will be 2 cases of inflammation or abscess of the esophagus wall and inflammation or abscess around the esophagus.
In case of inflammation or abscess of the esophagus wall:
High fever of 30-40 degrees Celsius in the whole body, dry lips, dirty tongue, bad breath are all symptoms that occur if an infection occurs; Health declines because of not being able to eat or drink for many days in a row; The condition of pain and entanglement when swallowing takes place more and more seriously in a certain position; The trough area is swollen, painful when pressed, the larynx is filtered - the spine is reduced or lost; The high white blood cell count is mainly due to neutrophils; X-ray results show that the anterior soft part of the spine is thicker than normal, the physiological curvature of the spine is no longer available, if contrast, the image of a foreign body can still be seen.

In case of inflammation or abscess around the esophagus:
If the infection is severe, you can feel dizzy and exhausted; Can't eat or drink, neck can't turn, chin always has to bend down, can't raise head, stooped gait; Difficulty breathing, when breathing deeply will feel pain, voice hoarse; Foreign body in the esophagus - neck, the larynx area will be swollen, pressing will be very painful. Filter laryngeal piles - the spine is lost. Inflammation of the neck area, subcutaneous emphysema. Foreign bodies in the thoracic esophagus will cause pain when taking deep breaths, stooping gait. It can be seen that eating foreign bodies in children will lead to extremely serious effects. Therefore, we can rely on the causes of food foreign bodies as mentioned above to have a direction to prevent and limit the risk of this disease.
As soon as the child has symptoms of a foreign body in the food, it is necessary to take the child to the hospital to be consulted by a specialist for monitoring and treatment. The pediatric department at Vinmec International General Hospital is the address for receiving and examining diseases that infants and young children are susceptible to: viral fever, bacterial fever, otitis media, pneumonia in children. With a system of facilities, modern medical equipment, sterile space, minimizing the impact as well as the risk of disease spread, Vinmec will bring satisfaction to customers. and is highly appreciated by industry experts with:
Gathering a team of leading pediatricians: including leading experts with high professional qualifications (professors, associate professors, doctors, Master's degree), experienced, worked at major hospitals such as Bach Mai, 108.. The doctors are all well-trained, professional, conscientious, knowledgeable about young psychology. In addition to domestic pediatric specialists, the Department of Pediatrics also has the participation of foreign experts (Japan, Singapore, Australia, USA) who are always pioneers in applying the latest and most effective treatment regimens. . Comprehensive services: In the field of Pediatrics, Vinmec provides a series of continuous medical examination and treatment services from Newborn to Pediatric and Vaccine,... according to international standards to help parents take care of their baby's health from birth to childhood. Advanced techniques: Vinmec has successfully deployed many specialized techniques to make the treatment of difficult diseases in Pediatrics more effective: neurosurgery - skull surgery, stem cell transplantation blood in cancer treatment. Professional care: In addition to understanding children's psychology, Vinmec also pays special attention to the children's play space, helping them to play comfortably and get used to the hospital's environment, cooperate in treatment, improve the efficiency of medical treatment.