title: Management of foreign bodies of the upper gastrointestinal tract.
abstract: In the United States, 1500 people die yearly of ingested foreign bodies of the upper gastrointestinal tract. The flexible esophagogastroduodenoscope has had a major impact on the treatment of these foreign bodies. The following discussion includes the management of coins, meat impaction, sharp and pointed objects, button batteries, and cocaine packets; and it reflects both a personal experience and a review of the literature. The uses of the rigid and the flexible endoscopes, the Foley catheter, glucagon, papain, and gas-forming agents are presented. The cost-effectiveness impact of the flexible endoscope is also detailed, and morbidity and mortality rates for foreign body management are included.
authors.affiliation: Department of Gastrointestinal Endoscopy, East Alabama Medical Center, Opelika.
authors.forename: W A
authors.initials: WA
authors.lastname: Webb
mesh_terms: D000402:Airway Obstruction / Q000628:therapy; D003365:Costs and Cost Analysis; D004064:Digestive System; D019723:Endoscopes; D004947:Esophagus; D005547:Foreign Bodies / Q000628:therapy*; D006801:Humans