Table 1 Recommended management protocol for the treatment of ingested sharp and blunt foreign bodies (adapted from Bisharat et al. 2007).
From: Dental root canal treatment complicated by foreign body ingestion: a case report
Type of Object | Site of Object | Management Protocol |
Sharp Metallic Objects | Oesophagus | Urgent endoscopic retrieval |
| Â | Stomach and Duodenum | Urgent endoscopic retrieval |
| Â | > DJ Flexure | Daily x-rays/strict observation |
|  |  | If fails to progress > 72 hrs → laparotomy |
|  |  | If signs of Obstruction/Bleeding/Perforation → laparotomy |
Blunt Metallic Objects | Oesophagus | Endoscopic retrieval |
|  | Stomach and Duodenum | If < 2 cm → weekly X-rays/conservative management |
|  |  | If > 2 cm → observe with weekly X-rays for 1–2 months. If failure to progress → endoscopic retrieval |
| Â | > DJ Flexure | Weekly X-rays/conservative management |
|  |  | If signs of Obstruction/Bleeding/Perforation → urgent endoscopic retrieval +/- laparotomy |