As the baby grows up, the curiosity about the world also increases, often through the sense of touch, taste to perceive the world, but due to the lack of awareness of the danger, so there will often be mistaken plugging, swallowing, leading to the occurrence of esophageal foreign bodies. It is hoped that through the following contents, parents can better understand the harm of esophageal foreign bodies and avoid similar situations.
01
What is a esophageal foreign body?
Esophageal foreign body refers to all kinds of objects that are stuck in the esophagus due to difficulty in discharge, and children's esophageal foreign bodies can occur at all ages, which is one of the common diseases in pediatric outpatient clinics and emergency departments. If a foreign body occurs in the esophagus, your baby may experience crying, nausea, difficulty swallowing, excessive salivation, refusal to eat, neck pain, and transient dyspnea.
If not treated in time, there may also be esophageal perforation, tracheoesophageal fistula, mediastinal infection, vocal cord paralysis, esophageal stenosis, pneumothorax, pneumonia, and severe cases may be life-threatening.
The illustration is original from the designer of Chiyu Senri A crotch
02
Why do foreign bodies easily get stuck in the esophagus?
Let's first look at the anatomy of the esophagus. The esophagus is part of the digestive tract, connected to the throat on the top and the stomach on the lower, with a total length of about 25 cm. The esophagus has three physiological stenosis, the first is the starting site of the esophagus, the second is located at the intersection of the esophagus behind the left main bronchi, and the third is through the esophageal hole of the diaphragm. Due to the presence of physiological stenosis, food is particularly susceptible to retention in these locations, especially in the first and second physiological stenosis.
In addition, because children can walk independently and have hand movements such as grasping, especially babies aged 1-3 years old, they have the opportunity to contact various objects, but there is no correct judgment on whether objects can be eaten, and the chewing and swallowing function of children at this age is not yet perfect, and the diameter of the esophagus is narrow, which increases the risk of foreign bodies being embedded in the esophagus.
03
What tends to cause esophageal foreign bodies?
Metal objects, mainly coins of various sizes; food is the bones and cores of various animals; with the increase of electronic products, button batteries cause more and more children's esophageal foreign bodies; in addition, there are various toys, accessories and accessories.
04
What if there is a foreign body in the esophagus?
If parents find that the baby has the above symptoms, they need to take the baby to the hospital as soon as possible.
First of all, try to figure out what the nature of the foreign body that the baby swallows and how long it has been swallowed. After arriving at the hospital, improve imaging tests such as CT to determine the location, size and shape of the foreign body, and whether it has injured other nearby organs and tissues. The doctor will then choose whether to take it out or operate surgically depending on the specific situation such as the nature of the foreign body.
Among them, the button battery is metal, strong alkaline, corrosive, should be after the diagnosis, active preparation, the first time to remove the button battery, to confirm its integrity. A large amount of salt water is also required to rinse the wound surface during the operation to prevent the battery exudate from continuing to corrode the esophageal mucosa.
05
How can parents prevent esophageal foreign bodies from occurring in their babies?
Usually for some small objects, such as metal coins, do not discard and place them at will, do not give such items to the baby, but also educate the baby not to develop the habit of mouth inclusions, in case you accidentally swallow. If you find that the baby contains something in the mouth, you should gently persuade the baby to spit it out on his own, and cannot forcibly take it with his fingers, so as not to cause crying and suck the foreign body into the airway.
Children under 3 years of age and molars that have not yet germinated should not be given peanuts, melon seeds, beans and other pitted foods. Items that young children may inhale or swallow should not be used as toys. Teach your baby not to eat in a hurry, chew carefully and swallow slowly, and do not run and jump randomly. Parents should also not frighten, amuse or scold the baby, so as not to cry, laugh, or swallow foreign objects when they fall. Teach your baby to get rid of bad habits such as pen caps, whistles and small toys.
Parents should pay attention to the fact that after swallowing a foreign body by mistake, do not use the so-called "soil method", such as swallowing rice balls, steamed buns, leeks, drinking vinegar, etc., so as not to aggravate the damage and increase the difficulty of surgery.
Usually, parents should cultivate good living habits of their babies and do a good job of safety education for their babies. If the case of accidental swallowing and esophageal foreign bodies really occurs, it is necessary to take the baby to the hospital as soon as possible, make a clear diagnosis as soon as possible, remove the foreign body, and avoid life-threatening situations.
End of full text
Contributed by: Liang Yi
Review: Ma Xiaohan
Typography: Wolfie
bibliography:
Diagnosis and treatment of foreign bodies in the esophagus of 288 children and analysis of clinical complications. SHEN Xiaofei,LI Qi,CHEN Wenbo. Chongqing Medicine, June 2019, Vol. 48, No. 11
Clinical analysis of foreign body complications of the esophagus in children. Guanqing Gao, Weihua Lou, Head and Neck Surgery, China, June 2012, Vol. 19, No. 6
Analysis and prevention of foreign bodies in children's esophagus. CHEN Yue,WANG Guilan. Jilin Medicine, Vol. 35, No. 10, April 2014
This popular science content is the original of Intellectual Education Thousand Days, and it will not be reprinted. It is only for medical popularization, not as a clinical diagnosis and medical basis, please follow the doctor's advice for any medical behavior.