Doctors earlier this week removed 11 batteries from a man’s stomach, intervening before they posed a serious danger to his health.
The 23-year-old man surnamed Lee (李) was taken to Da Chien General Hospital in Miaoli County late at night by a friend who said that Lee had swallowed batteries, gastroenterologist Lin Te-fu (林德福) said yesterday.
From an X-ray, doctors confirmed the presence of 11 AA batteries in Lee’s stomach, he said.
Photo courtesy of Da Chien General Hospital via CNA
When conducting a gastroscopy, using an endoscope to examine the upper digestive tract, they also discovered a lot of food among the batteries, he added.
As there is a risk of ulceration or tearing the stomach lining with endoscopic foreign body retrieval, in addition to being painful in the throat, doctors took their time with the procedure, Lin said.
They ended up spending about an hour carefully removing each battery, avoiding the need to perform surgery and taking them out before they posed a greater risk to the man’s health, he said.
After experiencing the pain of removing 11 batteries from his stomach, Lee told the doctors that he “would not dare” do it again, Lin said.
Mostly it is children who come into the hospital after swallowing foreign objects, with alcohol poisoning a far more common malady among adults, he said.
Some foreign objects could tear the esophagus if ingested, such as sharp objects, magnets, aluminum trays used for medication, fish bones and chicken bones, Lin said.
If a bone is accidentally ingested, Lin recommended first visiting an ear, nose and throat doctor to see whether it had become lodged in the oropharynx.
If the object has moved past the esophagus, a gastroenterologist must perform an endoscopy to remove it after locating it on an X-ray and determining it is safe, he said.
Not every accidental ingestion requires emergency intervention, Lin said, adding that objects smaller than 2cm usually pass on their own after four to six days.
However, if the item obstructs the esophagus, or if it is a battery, sharp or long, he recommended seeking immediate medical help.
Doctors also advised particular care for young children, the elderly and those with chronic difficulty swallowing, as items can become stuck more easily.
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