Surgical management and morbidity of pediatric magnet ingestions.

Abstract

BACKGROUND:

Foreign body ingestion remains a common reason for emergency room visits and operative interventions in the pediatric population. Rare earth magnet ingestion represents a low percentage of all foreign bodies swallowed by children; however, magnets swallowed in multiplicity can result in severe injuries.

MATERIALS AND METHODS:

Pediatric surgeons with membership in the Surgical Section of the American Academy of Pediatrics were surveyed to determine the magnitude and consequences of magnet ingestions in the pediatric population.

RESULTS:

About 100 (16%) participant responses reported on 99 magnet ingestions. The median age at ingestion was 3.7 y, and the majority of ingestions (71%) occurred after year 2010. Thirty-two children underwent endoscopy with successful removal in 70% of cases, and multiple magnets were found in 65% of these patients. Seventy-three children required either laparotomy (51) or laparoscopy (22) for magnet removal, and 90% of these children were discovered to have ingested more than one magnet. In addition, 17% of the children were found to have at least one perforation or fistula, and 34% of the children had multiple perforations or fistulae. Nine children required long-term care for their injuries including repeat endoscopies. One child died after hemorrhage from an esophago-aortic fistula.

CONCLUSIONS:

These results demonstrated the increasing need for magnet regulations and public awareness to prevent potentially serious complications.

• Authors: Alicia M Waters, Daniel H Teitelbaum, Vivian Thorne, Athos Bousvaros, R Adam Noel, Elizabeth A Beierle
• Journal: The Journal of surgical research (J Surg Res) Vol. 199 Issue 1 Pg. 137-40 (Nov 2015) ISSN: 1095-8673 [Electronic] United States
• PMID: 25959833 (Publication Type: Journal Article)
• Copyright: Copyright © 2015 Elsevier Inc. All rights reserved.

Topics

• Adolescent
• Child
• Child, Preschool
• Eating
• Endoscopy, Gastrointestinal (statistics & numerical data)
• Female
• Foreign Bodies (complications, diagnosis, epidemiology, surgery)
• Humans
• Infant
• Laparoscopy (statistics & numerical data)
• Laparotomy (statistics & numerical data)
• Magnets
• Male
• Practice Patterns, Physicians' (statistics & numerical data)
• Retrospective Studies
• Surveys and Questionnaires
• Treatment Outcome
• United States (epidemiology)