endoscopic removal
Last reviewed 01/2018
Foreign bodies lodged in the GI tract may be removed endoscopically with a one or two channel instrument.
Sharp objects necessitate the use of an overtube placed around the endoscope; once the endoscope has reached and snared the object, the overtube is pushed beyond the snare. Hence, the endoscope can be drawn back pulling the object through the static tube without risk of damage to the surrounding mucosa.
Other practical advice includes:
- using glucagon to relax the oesophagus
- passing thread through holes in swallowed keys and then pulling back once the thread has been grasped by forceps
Complications such as perforation and aspiration may have a rate as low as 1%.