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February 9, 2012
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Swallowed Object

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Swallowed Object Overview

Button batteries, pins, fishbones, balloons-all these items and more are swallowed by adults and children by accident or on purpose.

Parents of infants and toddlers are most likely to seek medical attention for a child. Children in this age group are curious and often eat inedible materials such as dirt and coins and also have trouble swallowing some common foods.

Older children and adults may swallow objects to seek attention or may have trouble with the anatomy of their esophagus leading to a blockage after eating a normal meal.

  • A swallowed object that blocks the airway is a true medical emergency. If the person is not breathing, you must call 911 for this medical emergency immediately.
  • Mostswallowed objectspass through the body and out in a bowel movement without any medical intervention.

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Swallowed Object

Are X-rays Safe?

The use of X-rays allows physicians to look inside the body to diagnosis an injury or illness. When done for appropriate situations, X-rays are safe and beneficial. It is important that X-rays are not misused or overused because over a lifetime, a person may be exposed to a fairly large amount of cumulative radiation, and it is important than the benefit of each X-ray test be considered before it is done.

Radiologic technologists are trained to use the least amount of radiation possible to produce an image that will help with diagnosis. The technologist or the radiologist (the physician who supervises the testing and then interprets the X-ray images) is often able to tell the patient how much radiation is being used.

If you ask, and are told a dose of radiation, you may not understand what a dose of 1 millisievert (mSv) might mean. But if this effective dose is converted into the amount of time it would take you to accumulate the sa...

Read the X-rays article »


Read What Your Physician is Reading on Medscape

Gastrointestinal Foreign Bodies »

In general, foreign bodies in the air and food passages are the sixth most common cause of accidental death in the United States.

Read More on Medscape Reference »

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