Your patient swallowed what

Your Patient Swallowed What?

Can you imagine how many times that statement has been repeated? This is not intended to be funny or lighthearted; in many cases the patient may suffer from a mental illness that is out of his or her control.

Emergency Room Visits A 21-year-old college student attended a party where they were blowing items from their mouths and shooting them into cans across the room. This young man opted to use a candelabra bulb, thinking it would go far. He sucked inward so that he could blow very hard, and he actually swallowed the bulb. He was very upset, sure it would kill him, as his party going friends also panicked. He tuned out to be lucky, the bulb did not break and was intact making for easy removal.

A very considerate husband decided to surprise his wife with a beautiful ring for their anniversary. He hid the ring in her dessert cake; sweet idea, wasn't it? It was until she swallowed the ring.

Luckily it was safely removed and placed in the appropriate spot on her finger.

A 17-month-old baby boy swallowed the new tags that were just purchased for the family dog. Using magnets and mild sedation, the tags were safely removed and the child fine.

A patient suffering from pica swallowed a stapler. Because pica is a mental disorder, patients intentionally swallow inedible objects, which was the case with this patient. The patient admitted to the nurse that they sprayed the stapler with WD40 in order to achieve swallowing of the object.

Surgeons had to retrieve the stapler; however the patient returned 3 weeks later, having swallowed a key ring with 4 keys attached.

Related: Positive effects of Nursing Education Babies and Toddlers are especially vulnerable to swallowing items that are not edible. The CDC estimates children under the age of 4 account for more than 1000 emergency room visits each year. It's very important to remind parents how quickly children can place an object in their mouths and ingest it.

Pica patients need to monitor very closely. Anxiety can affect their tendency to consume objects. Some pica patients have lost their life due to swallowing items, and should always be observed closely. In addition, objects that could fit in a patient's mouth should be removed for the patient's safety. Remember to never tell a pica patient not to eat an object.

This is a condition in which they have little control. Mentioning anything about their condition can provoke them to feel the urge to ingest something.

Common Profession for Accidental Swallowing There is a profession that has more accidental swallowing than any other, and it is a seamstress. Needles, pins, snaps, buttons, hook, you name it, it's all been swallowed. It's apparently extremely common for someone that is sewing, to hold small objects in their mouth, follow by accidentally swallowing them. Several things can prompt a swallow, such as a sneeze, a loud noise or a sudden happening that startles, or simply forgetting that the small object is being held in the mouth. In some cases, the small objects pass through the body, however, when pins and needles are involved it can be more difficult. In some cases, magnets can be used to retrieve them, however, depending on how they have moved through the intestines, it's possible that it may require surgical removal.

Related: Nursing Specialist in High Demand Today Ingesting a foreign object into the body is not a safe thing to do. Items can become blocked, or block the absorption of food, or liquids. Items can also be broken, creating jagged edges that can puncture the stomach lining.

Items may also create an infection, which could be difficult to treat, and usually has to wait until surgical removal of the object.

The best way to avoid accidental swallowing of an object is to avoid using the mouth as a holding device. In reality, even nurses do that to hold caps, etc. It's easy to use the mouth as quick storage. However, not only is it dangerous, and could be swallowed, it's very unsanitary. Even if the object itself is clean, if it's gone from your hands to your mouth, it's dirty. Use pockets or pouches to store small items and avoid the mouth. As for patients, recommend the same, a quick solution is not worth a potential invasive surgery.

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